Featured Image Credit: news.sky.com
By: Kira Krall
BBC recently sampled beaches in Kent, England for microplastics. They investigated the tissues of filter-feeding mussels growing in four beaches. 2/3 of the mussels sampled had plastic in their system, and 80% of the mussels at the Ramsgate site contained the tiny pollutant.
Most of the microplastics in the water come from the tiny fibers that wash out of our plastic-based clothing and make their way into local waterways. However, as plastics like bottles and bags disintegrate, bits of plastic smaller than a pencil eraser break free.
Plastic content in mussels impacts more than just the bivalves themselves. Through a process called bioaccumulation, these stubborn plastics work their way up the food chain and lodge themselves into the gut of larger predators like tuna that humans find delicious. Even someone who shies away from slurping down oysters could still ingest plastic if they eat any type of seafood.
It’s not just the tasty fish that are affected. Plastics have even been found in deep sea fish that live over a thousand feet below the ocean’s surface, where most of the plastic in the world starts its seafaring journey. The above photo from the study shows the deep sea critters and the plastic fibers found in their gut.
This study published in 2015 found that oysters exposed to microplastics produced fewer eggs and less mobile sperm. Overall, oyster fertility in this laboratory environment decreased by as much as 41%. Pacific oyster populations aren’t decreasing yet. However, with this dramatic hit to reproduction, the reviving U.S. oyster industry could end up collapsing if plastic pollution rates continue.
Thankfully, Great Britain is following Germany’s lead in getting these plastics out of our waters and off of our plates. A bottle deposit program would require consumers to pay a small fee for plastic bottles. Once the last bit of that delicious pre-bottled smoothie is gone, the bottle would be returned to get that money back.
Bottling programs can be tricky to implement, but recycling rates in Germany skyrocketed to 95% after their bottle deposit program. The U.K. plans to use reverse vending machines in easily accessible locations to encourage consumers to return their bottles. If 10% of consumers don’t return their bottles, £491 million in unclaimed deposit money would be available to fund the program’s handling fees. Here’s to hoping bottling programs continue to reach more countries and reduce our worldwide plastic pollution problem!