Recently there have been a few reports on the “newly discovered” gyre that sits in the Atlantic, containing plastic debris like that in the North Pacific. This is not new to the science world, but it is fairly new to mainstream readers who may not focus so much on ocean issues. The Economist recently wrote, in an article on August 23rd, that there could be “Good News for Turtles,” due to the perceived decrease in plastic pollution. Though it might be true that some studies in the Atlantic over many years have not shown an increase in plastic accumulation, the title on the article made it seem like we are starting to solve the issue, and that we can now let our guard down on the impacts of plastic pollution in the ocean. Though a decrease in plastic could be occurring in that part of the ocean, there are many things that we need to remember vis-a-vis the Atlantic and potential plastic flow into that body of water.

This could in fact be a good story - that our recycling and waste management policies in North America and Europe have started working. This is in fact where much of the debris in this part of the ocean would come from, based on the currents. It should be expected that as education, recycling and better coastal waste management come into maturity, coupled with slowing growth in these societies bordering the ocean, that plastic waste entering the sea should be declining. It should be noted, however, that we do not know if new materials being used today have different buoyancy traits than before, if ocean acidification impacts this material in new ways, or at what point the material buoyancy may change due to marine fouling, which could cause this waste material to sink well before it is captured in sample nets.

The Atlantic may be one good case study, where policies and education can make a difference. In other growing parts of the world, however, where consumption is on the rise, particularly with disposable products, many of which are made from plastic, the growth in consumption and waste generation has rapidly outpaced the infrastructure and capabilities of recycling and waste management. Coupled with lower levels of environmental education and awareness, we have a growing problem to face in the sea. Plastic pollution is evident in almost every country, and river pollution is one of the heavy contributors. We must remember that the “coastline” that we should be monitoring is not only that of salt water, but all streams and rivers, as everything flows downstream, to the ocean.

The issue of marine debris is one that becomes part of the “global commons”, though it may have started out as a local issue. When material like plastic does not biodegrade (at least not for hundreds of years in many cases) and it moves into international waters (potentially into one of the five main gyres in our ocean), there are no national jurisdictions which have the mandate, or the responsibility, to clean this up. We are all contributors to the problem. One very interesting point is that if you look at the UN Laws of the Sea, most are related to an ocean industry, or, large land-based pollution incidences, but not related to consumer behavior or municipal waste handling. However, this is where approximately 80 percent of the marine debris comes from – land, and us, in our daily lives. Article 207 of the Laws of the Sea, is in fact meant to prevent land-based pollution to the ocean – however, most of those who govern on land, near the sea, or even upstream in river catchments, likely have no concept or sense of engagement with this Law of the Sea, as they are all land based. So, we technically have a law in the UN to help prevent this, but, the majority of those on land do not feel themselves as “sea related” and therefore are likely dismiss, or do not even know about, the ways that this law can and should be used.

This is a great opportunity for all of us who care to bring this back to the world’s attention. This law is an asset whose time has come. River mouth outflows are a great place to start, as this is where much of the world’s ocean debris can come from, which means that not only ocean-coastal waste management is necessary, but the “coastal” concept needs to be transferred and implemented all the way up a river. A good example of where this could make an impact is in China, where river debris continues to be a challenging issue due to a high population along the river basins, an increase of disposable non-biodegradable materials, and a lack of proper education, waste management and recycling in the river vicinities.

2010 should be seen as the year that we all start taking note, and really making some positive changes for our ocean. The fact that one set of data is showing some signs of improvement, should not mean that we need to let down our guard, by any means, but instead realize that this is a problem we can truly make improvements on.

Photo by Colin Chudyk/flickr/Creative Commons

Doug Woodring is the founder of Project Kaisei, a nonprofit dedicated to understanding and solving the problem of marine debris. To help Project Kaisei and the ocean, book a hotel room on Expedia's new site - http://travelrelief.org/project-kaisei/ and click Project Kaisei. Kaisei gets 8 percent of all bookings, at no cost to the buyer.