Over the last few years, a lot has been done for the reduction in the usage and reduction of plastics. The action taken is different from country to country and from person to person. Some countries have taken a more drastic approach than others. These actions range from fees levied on plastic shopping bags, right up to outright bans of single use plastic products, such as plastic straws, plastic bags etc. There is a movement, in many countries, to outlaw single use plastic products within the coming years.
The current situation with COVID 19 has seen an unprecedented increase of usage of plastic products, which we are encouraged to use for our own safety. These products are face masks, gloves, face shields and full PPE kits, used in hospitals, on airplanes and in some form in restaurants, pubs and other establishments. Recycling these products is becoming a serious problem, particularly in countries where recycling facilities are scarce or just do not exist. We have already seen many of these products in the oceans during several dives and/or along the shorelines where they have been swept up by tides, or carried into the water by winds and rain.
As a society we are mostly shocked by the pictures of waste products left behind on land, along shorelines, in the water and at the surface of our oceans. However, when it comes to the ocean floor, there is little to no knowledge at all. Nobody can see the impact such waste has in the depth of our oceans. The phrase “out of sight, out of mind” truly applies.
Surely, we should do everything in our power to ensure awareness to these massive problems. We must take every action possible to reduce and eliminate these problems. Every single one of us can do their bit in reducing the amount of rubbish we produce. Sensible ways of shopping, repairing, rather than throwing away and buying new and forcing big corporations to change as well. The best chance we have is to educate future generations to be far more sensible and responsible in the ways we approach the health of our beautiful earth and the depths of our oceans.
Follow this link for a detailed article on the impact human rubbish has on our oceans. The Mediterranean is the most polluted ocean with regards to the human waste and rubbish found on the ocean floor.
I hope that this article will encourage you to make a daily difference in the way you shop, and deal with your rubbish.
Happy Days
Jurg Dahler
Diving Instructor
