PLASTICS NEWS: Marine Plastic Pollution on the Rise

According to a new study led by a University of British Columbia researcher who examined the stomach contents of beached northern fulmar, marine plastic pollution is on the rise with plastic pollution in the Northwest Pacific where the study was conducted reaching the levels of the notoriously polluted North Sea.

Northern fulmar forage exclusively at sea and retain plastic in their stomachs for a long period time which makes them ideal indicators of marine plastic pollution. The study found that 92.5 % of the northern fulmar examined had ingested plastic, up from 58 % in 1980.

Theses findings are hardly surprising. Plastic consumption continues to grow despite growing awareness of the global plastic pollution crisis. Contrary to what the powerful plastics lobby would have us believe, plastic recycling is not a sustainable solution. The only thing that can solve the plastic pollution crisis is a significant global reduction in the consumption of non-biodegradable, non-renewable, toxic plastic products.

Read the full article about the new study here.