Recently, an article about the British Queen’s declaration of war on plastics has been scraping in the circle of “friends.” It is said that disposable plastic straws and plastic bottles will be banned in royal houses such as Buckingham Palace. This news has once again raised concerns about marine plastic pollution. .
Plastic waste is unacceptable to the ocean. According to statistics, 10 to 20 million tons of plastic waste enters the ocean every year. As time goes by, millions of micro-plastics are broken into the water, which can exist for hundreds of years. .
Microplastics, refers to individual plastics with a diameter of less than 5mm. Today, microplastics have been distributed across all corners of the globe, from the near-shore estuary area to the ocean, from the equatorial waters to the north and south poles, from the surface of the ocean to the ocean's super-abyss. Belts, humans have found traces of it. According to the source, microplastics can be divided into two categories: One is primary microplastics, the finished product is micro plastic particles, such as microplastics and plastic microspheres contained in daily chemical products are transported. Leakage into the environment during the process; the other is the secondary micro-plastics, that is, the larger plastic waste into the natural environment, through the light, physical, chemical and biological degradation, fragmentation formed micro-plastic.
Marine microplastics can easily be eaten by creatures as bait. This is because it is in the same size range as the organisms at the bottom of the marine food chain, and the surface can attach microorganisms and other marine organisms. During the flow of food webs, Physical and chemical hazards. For example, microplastics that cannot be digested and are not easily excreted in the body can accumulate in the digestive tract of marine organisms for a long period of time. This can cause organisms to feel full, cause malnutrition and even die due to inability to feed; micro The chemical toxicity of the plastic itself and the chemical poisons adsorbed from the environment may cause direct damage to ingested organisms and may be enriched at various levels in the food chain.
Microplastics may also cause the spread of invasive species and pathogenic microorganisms. In the marine environment, microplastics are like a boat that rides through the wind and waves. Compared to floating natural algae and other biological substrates, its properties are more stable and can be attached. Microorganisms on the surface travel with the ocean current, which contains some of the harmful microalgae and aquatic pathogenic bacteria that may have an impact on the marine ecosystem.
Now, people in the Netherlands, Australia, and the United States have invented marine plastic waste collection devices that have a good collection effect on plastic waste. However, the key to the problem lies in the post-operational management, including how the collected plastic waste is further processed, classified, and utilized. Etc. If rely mainly on public interest, there is no government financial support, promotion is very difficult.
In the face of the problems of marine plastic pollution and micro-plastics, on the one hand, relevant national departments are required to improve the laws related to plastic pollution control and establish a good mechanism for the recycling and recycling of waste plastics; on the other hand, we need to start from ourselves and change daily life. Some consumer habits, to reduce the production of waste plastic waste. For example, reduce the use of disposable plastic products - plastic bags, plastic straws, plastic utensils, etc., try to use durable goods; reduce the consumption of plastic bottled drinking water, go carrying a cup of water Say 'no' to over-packaged products, promote a simple lifestyle, read product ingredient labels when purchasing beauty, personal care products, do not buy products containing plastic microspheres, etc. Let's work together in the ocean The 'new pollutants' declared war!