Plastic Pollution Problem in Oceans & What We Can Do

I have been aware for a long time the issue with plastic pollution in our oceans but recently I’ve discovered just how much of an issue it is and how it is devastating for the creatures in our oceans as well. By being mindful about what we buy and do, we can prevent this issue from escalating further.

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Why Is Plastic In The Oceans A Problem

Plastic pollution in the ocean usually makes it way there from general littering ie on the beach or near rivers, people flushing wet wipes, cotton buds and sanitary products and finally microfibers from synthetic clothes getting washed off in the washing machine and ending up in the ocean. They predict that by 2050 there will be more plastic in our oceans than fish!

In this article it states 93% of the gunk clogging up sewers in the UK is baby wipes! It does shock me that people are flushing wipes and sanitary products down the toilet and not even thinking about the consequences or where it goes.

All of this plastic that ends up in our oceans is harmful for marine life and birds, not to mention the fact that people who eat fish will end up eating the microplastics that the fish has consumed. Another issue is that when these pieces of plastic breakdown into microplastics they also end up contaminating our water systems.

How Plastic Is Killing The Ocean

There was a documentary in the 2018 in the UK which went into a lot of detail about the plastic problem. It was called Drowning in Plastic on BBC if you wanted to look out for it.

I have been unable to find this particular documentary to watch myself, however the reviews all seem to say that it worth a watch and it does also show some positive solutions such as the invention of the sea bin which collects the plastic.

A Plastic Ocean Documentary

I recently watched A Plastic Ocean on Netflix which was an eye opening watch.

Love this quote from the documentary.

Consider them both, the sea and the land; and do you not find a strange analogy to something in yourself? -Herman Melville, Moby-Dick

The environmental impact from plastic pollution in our oceans is immense!

In this documentary from 2016 it really shows the seriousness of the plastic problem. They say approximately 8 million tonnes of plastic ends up in the ocean Worldwide every year!

As a lot of marine life searches for food in the ocean they often mistake bits of plastic for fish.

If you eat fish you essentially will be consuming the plastic they’ve eaten because it contaminates their whole bodies, it even collects in their muscles.

Birds are also mistaking bits of coloured plastic for fish and it’s killing them.

In this documentary they dissected a few dead birds and their stomachs were full of plastic which is just awful!

I remember watching the clip of the poor turtle having a straw removed from it’s nose several years ago and it’s just so sad that animals are suffering for the moment of convenience. Of course after this clip went viral a lot of people were outraged about the issue and sales for stainless steel and glass straws soared. I understand that for some people the reusable straws are not an option and that’s ok.

What Ocean Plastic Organisations Are Doing

Friends of the Earth

They have created a petition in the UK to tell the government to create a law to ban plastic pollution. You can sign the petition here. They also have a lot of great tips on their website to reduce plastic pollution.

Plastic Oceans UK

The ‘A Plastic Ocean’ documentary was actually produced by this charity and they also created ‘Science behind the film’ to show the scientific evidence which is mentioned in the film.

At Plastic Oceans UK they are working with companies to help them adapt to consumer needs whilst reducing their plastic footprint. They also have a lot of tips for individuals and businesses on their website to help reduce the plastic problem.

Greenpeace

Greenpeace also have some great tips on their website and they have a plastic league table which shows which supermarkets are the worst for plastic. You can read it here.

They also have a petition to Supermarkets to cut back on plastic, you can sign here.

How To Stop Plastic Pollution In The Ocean

First and foremost we can avoid as much as possible, single use plastics. The less plastic we buy means the less plastic that has the potential to end up in our environment. That also means the less plastic to eventually end up at landfill sites or in our rivers and oceans.

Of course it goes without saying but not littering or trying to flush plastic away is other things that just have to stop.

Alternatives

Choosing plastic free alternatives minimises the risk of it getting in our environment. So choose reusable water bottles (Affiliate Link) instead of single use drinks. Avoid cosmetic wipes by finding reusable alternatives such as bamboo make-up wipes (Affiliate Link) or just a flannel.

There are plastic free cotton buds (Affiliate Link( as well or even reusable cotton buds if you don’t mind having to clean it regularly.

If you use a manual toothbrush a great alternative is a bamboo (Affiliate Link) one as you’re already throwing it out anyway. If you usually use an electric toothbrush and you’re in the UK, you can get Oral B compatible recyclable toothbrush heads. For more on the eco-friendly teeth products check out my post.

Clean up the ocean

Joining clean up operations at beaches is another great way of helping to clean up our oceans. My Dad and youngest sister joined a local ‘clean the beach’ operation last year. I remember my Dad saying they spent a lot of time recording what was collected rather than just cleaning up so he decided to do it alone next time. However, the idea is a great one and if you want to have a guide or a team to help, this is a good way to do it.

I’ve seen some amazing social media posts of people showing before pictures of beaches covered in rubbish and then the pictures after they’ve cleaned and everything is bagged up. It’s awesome when people dedicate their time to do this and I really admire the dedication!

Washing machine filters

Another quite important one is finding a way to stop those plastic fibres from coming off your clothes and down the drains. The best way to do this is with a filter.

I noticed when I first went vegan that a lot of the jumpers I had were actually synthetic and not wool. If you check your wardrobe I think you may find the same. 64% of new clothes made is made from plastic as stated on Friends of the Earth. Polyester, Nylon, Acrylic and Polyamide is all synthetic and plastic.

Planet Care do a Household filter which seems to be fairly straight forward to fit. This company says that you need to change the filter after 20 washes and you can recycle the old filter by sending it back to them. They then refurbish the old filters, 95% get reused and 5% get recycled. A starter pack which includes 13 filters is £125.70. This seems to be a good option if you are in the UK.

If you’re in the US Fitrol filters seems to be a great option, they’re $139.99 and $45.99 for 4 spare filter bags. This sounds like you would only be able to have this if you own your property though as it needs to be mounted to a stud wall and the system gets heavy when it’s full of water.

Another option for if you live in rented accommodation so you can’t use something as permanent is a Cora ball. I’ve recently written a Cora Ball product review if you’d like to learn more.

The Cora Ball is designed around the idea of coral and how the coral catches tiny things in the ocean to keep it cleaner. It’s a ball which you just put in the washing machine with your clothes and it collects the fuzz and microfibers on your clothes and collects them so you can dispose of them. It does not need to be cleaned after every use, it says as soon as you can see bits that can be easily pulled out then pull them out with your fingers or tweezers if you’d prefer. It sounds like when hair gets caught in a hair brush.

It is said to collect 26 – 31% of the fibers which otherwise would go down to the drain and end up in the ocean. 1 Cora ball online is $37.99. If you’re in the UK you can get one from Babipur for £29.94. That’s a really good price seeing as they should last 5 years or more.

I’m leaning towards the Cora ball myself due to being in rented accommodation and not wanting to make major adjustments to the property if I have to leave. I already use an Ecoegg to wash my everyday washing so I’m used to putting something in the machine with my clothes.

I hope you’ve enjoyed my post about plastic pollution in our oceans, I just think that more people should be aware of the plastic problem so that we can do what we can to help. If you are interested in what I learnt from collecting my plastic for a week, click here.

Let me know your thoughts in the comments. Do you have any tips to add?

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