Marine Litter – Introduction MEDCIS, 20 February, 2018, Athens, Greece medcis.eu

Plastics as a global problem Plastics production has surged over the past 50 years, from 15 million tonnes in 1964 to 311 million tonnes in 2014, and is expected to double again over the next 20 years; million tonnes of plastic litter that end up in the oceans every year. Plastic is an important material in our economy and daily lives. It has multiple functions that help tackle a number of the challenges facing our society. Light and innovative materials in cars, medicine, phones, computers, construction, food industry, e.g. in packaging, plastics help ensure food safety and reduce food waste. We just cannot live without it! However, too often the way plastics are currently produced, used and discarded ending up in the environment. Million tonnes of plastic litter that end up in the oceans every year, so there is an urgent need to tackle the environmental problems that today cast a long shadow over the production, use and consumption of plastics. There are many innovation and improvement efforts that show potential

Marine Litter – General Introduction Marine litter -any persistent, manufactured or processed solid material discarded, disposed of or abandoned in the marine and coastal environment; ML are globally acknowledged as a major societal challenge of our times due to its significant environmental, economic, social, political and cultural implications; (Galgani et al., 2010, Sutherland et al., 2010 ). Marine litter is a complex mand multi-dimensional problem with significant implications for the marine and coastal environment and human activities.

Plastic waste in marine environment Marine litter can be transported across long distances and remain in the marine environment for a long time; physical changes: degradation and fragmentation of plastics (microplastics, nanoplastics); biological and chemical decomposition: release of hazardous chemicals (additives); binding of organic pollutants. Because of its persistent nature, ML can be transported across long distances and remain in the marine environment for an undetermined length of time often making its geographic, sectorial and temporal origin difficult to assess.

Marine Litter in the Mediterranean Marine litter related information in the Mediterranean, remains limited, inconsistent and fragmented (Vlachogianni, 2017); it is widely accepted that the Mediterranean is one of the most affected seas by marine litter worldwide (Cozar et al., 2015; UNEP/MAP 2015); basin’s limited exchanges with other oceans, its densely populated coasts, highly developed tourism, 30% of the world’s maritime traffic passing through and various additional inputs of litter from rivers and very urbanized areas (UNEP, 2015).

Marine litter data in the Mediterranean The issue of marine litter and related information on the amounts and types in the Mediterranean is rather complicated, as it is addressed principally by scientific institutions and sub-regional and local authorities in most countries on the one hand and by competent NGOs; a relatively systematic and reliable source for amounts and types of litter is usually the existing NGO initiatives (MIO-ECSDE, Marine LitterWatch (EEA), Legambiente, Surfrider Foundation Europe, etc.) in the region.

Most frequent marine litter items in the Mediterranean Dominating materials are plastic, such as plastic bags, food containers, plastic caps/lids, cotton bud sticks, mussel nets, etc. TG ML General Code Material type Litter type G79 Artificial polymer materials Plastic pieces 2.5 cm > < 50 cm G82 Polystyrene pieces 2.5 cm > < 50 cm G95 Cotton bud sticks G21 Plastic caps/lids from drinks G27 Cigarette butts and filters G23 Plastic caps/lids unidentified G45 Mussel nets, Oyster nets G30 Crisps packets/sweets wrappers G208 Glass/ceramics Glass or ceramic fragments >2.5 cm G124 Other plastic/polystyrene items (identifiable)

Marine litter impacts Marine litter poses to wildlife and ecosystems, with impacts: plastics threaten the living beings entanglement, ingestion; reduce biodiversity; transfer/transport of non-native species; release of hazardous chemicals into water (additives) – carcinogenic, hormonal/endocrine disruptors binding of organic pollutants (from agriculture and industry, DDT) – entering the food chain.

Sources of litter pollution Fisheries and aquaculture Urban areas Shipping Litter enters the ocean from diverse point and diffuse sources, which can be both land and ocean-based. It can also be transported over long distances before being deposited onto shorelines or settling on the bottom of the oceans and seas. Determination of sources and activities, help us better understand background of litter entering marine environment. Sewage outlets Tourism and recreation Riverine input

Microplastics Plastic particles smaller than 5 mm Primary microplastics Industrial pelletes Use in cosmetics as abrazives Secondary microplastics Degradation and fragmentation Microplastics are widely dispersed in the environment and are present in the water column, on beaches and on the seabed Negative impacts: ingestion, physical damage to the gastrointestinal tract, binding and transfer of POPs, etc.

Measures on Marine litter support the approach of prioritizing the implementation of tailor-made measures to tackle a set of priority litter items (most frequent litter items); importance of the fisheries and aquaculture sector with regards to marine litter; targeted measures e.g „The banning of plastic bags or plastic bag levies and management of styrofoam fish boxes“ are expected to have a direct effect on minimizing litter in the marine environment (Vlachogianni, 2017); management measures should focus on the one hand on awareness raising of consumers and citizens and on the other on fully implementing circular economy schemes (e.g. promoting eco-design) and/or policies that will drastically reduce the use of such items (e.g. banning or putting a levy on single use plastic bags) (Vlachogianni, 2017).

How can WE prevent/reduce? What can WE do? How can WE prevent/reduce? Prevent litter entering the enviroment at it source (reduce leakage into natural systems and associated negative impacts) Reduce/Reuse/Recycle RETHINK and RESHAPE education and raising awareness cooperation by all key players, from plastics producers to recyclers, retailers and consumers development and adoption of global plastic packaging design guidelines

Thank You!