The issue of plastic in the environment

Plastic thrown out of the car

Plastic thrown out of cars on the streets and parking lots, plastic waste left in nature. Who does not know that?

Unfortunately, a lot of plastic is carelessly thrown into nature and thus ends up in the environment and in the sea.

Plastic from land to sea

Over 12 million tons of plastic end up in the ocean every year. That's one full garbage truck every minute. And there are an additional 1 million microplastic particles (tire abrasion, textile abrasion or microplastics added to cosmetics) every year.

Austria also contributes to this, as around 40 tons of plastic end up in the Black Sea via the Danube every year. But plastic exports to poorer countries, such as Malaysia, also lead to significant environmental pollution.

Plastic from ships into the sea

Plastic pollution not only occurs via rivers from land to sea, but also directly from ships. Over 1 million tonnes of fishing nets end up in the sea every year.

They are particularly dangerous because marine animals such as sharks, sea turtles, whales and dolphins get tangled up in them and die miserably. A further 0,6 million tonnes are thrown overboard by ships for disposal.

plastic in the sea

If you think that all the plastic in the ocean floats on the surface, you are wrong. Only 1% of plastic floats due to its low density (e.g. plastic bags).

Most plastic (e.g. PET bottles) are denser than seawater and sink to the seabed. It is estimated that 94% of all plastic in the ocean can be found there. That's 70 kg per km².

Plastic on the beach

Everyone has probably seen plastic on the beach. About 5% of the plastic waste that ends up in the ocean washes up on beaches. Since there is less beach than the seabed, there are a total of 2.000 kg per km² that can be found here.

Plastic islands in the sea

In total, it is estimated that there are already 150 million tons of plastic in the ocean. This garbage can now be seen from space.

Ocean currents transport the plastic and form gigantic plastic islands, of which there are five. The largest island is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, which is 19 times the size of Austria.

Experts estimate that there are six times more pieces of plastic in these plastic islands than there are plankton organisms.

Microplastics in the environment

Synthetic plastic in the environment is a problem because it kills animals, releases toxins and breaks down into microplastics. That's why bioplastics are needed that are biodegradable.

Our products are all biodegradable. Consequently, the pollution of our environment is not permanent. Nevertheless, our products should not be thrown away carefully, because natural plastic has no place in the environment and the oceans.

Mountains of plastic on land and in the sea

Much of the plastic, a whopping 94%, sinks to the ocean floor. Only 1% of plastic in the oceans floats on the surface and 5% is found on beaches.

There is now an estimated 70 kg of plastic on every square kilometer of the seabed. On beaches there are 2000 kg of plastic per km².

Plastic in animals

Many animals confuse plastic with food. Once in your stomach, plastic can quickly become a problem. It is not digested and therefore remains in the stomach, giving the illusion of satiety. As a result, many animals starve to death with a full stomach.

You can often see the plastic remains of decayed seabirds, which indicate their fate.

Sea turtles and plastic

Sea turtles repeatedly eat plastic and die from it. They confuse the plastic with their food, the jellyfish. A plastic bag really does resemble a jellyfish.

But it's not just the look that's tempting to bite, it's also the smell. Smells from microorganisms and other living beings accumulate on the plastic, which deceptively indicate a natural food source.

More plastic in the sea than fish

By 2050 there will be more plastic floating in the sea than fish! This is what the Ellen MacArthur Foundation predicts. Of course, this is just a prediction; in fact, it could happen sooner or later.

What is clear, however, is that an extremely large amount of plastic ends up in the sea every year and it will not disappear. In addition, fish stocks are continually decreasing. Consequently, there will have to be this consequence at some point.

The consequences for the entire marine ecosystem cannot be imagined. Plastic is already causing great damage.