CleanHub
Recap: In our latest blog we’ve learned about the collection gap.
Most countries in the world don’t have a waste collection system, creating a vast gap between the waste that people generate and the trash that gets disposed of properly.
If there are no formal collection systems in place, the easiest, most efficient solution can be door-to-door collection services to intercept the waste as close to the source as possible. Through these services, we can ensure that the material does not end up in the environment.
So what else can we do to prevent plastic from making its way into the ocean?
We’re glad you asked.
There are 372.000 miles of coastline on this planet - that’s 15 times the length of the equator - and a big part of plastic pollution is located right there.
A standard solution to prevent ocean plastic pollution and other environmental damage as efficiently as possible is cleanups: picking up litter, disposing of it correctly, and stopping the ever-increasing flood of plastic into the sea. While there are already millions of tons of plastic floating on the sea’s surface, it only makes up 1% of the entire ocean plastic - 99% is hidden in the deep sea and sediments where it is hard to spot, let alone collect..jpeg?width=1080&name=44736eb4-de06-49ba-bcf1-38b8361f2971_6%20(1).jpeg)
This makes catching the waste before it reaches the lower depths of the sea an utmost priority. For this, we are glad to have Tridi Oasis and Green Worms as our partners who regularly organize huge beach cleanup events at the shorelines of Indonesia and India.
Most of the plastic waste people find during cleanups are food wrappers, plastic bottle lids, and plastic dishes.
It’s clear that the main issue stems from single-use plastic that millions of people use every day.
Combining systems to improve the situation
Cynics might now claim that picking up ‘that little’ amount of trash from the environment won’t help to solve the plastic pollution at all or that it’s just a drop in a bucket.
And maybe so, but it doesn’t hurt to try. In the fight for a better, cleaner planet, every little helps. We know we won’t be able to solve the problem with cleanup events alone. In an ideal world, we would close the collection gap and the waste would get collected from the households that produce it before leaking into the oceans. But as long as leaking continues to be a problem, cleanups continue to be a crucial part of the solution.
To get a better grasp on the problem, adequate recycling and collection systems are needed globally. Until that happens, everyone can play their part by producing and using less plastic altogether - and collecting plastic whenever they spot it in the environment.
Every single piece of plastic can make a difference, but so can every individual with the choices they make. Together, we can create a volume of collected waste that will make a change.
So if you see plastic or other waste lying around outdoors, do the environment and yourself a favor and pick it up.
For more information on how you can help us protect the ocean, reach out to Rodney@cleanhub.com.
