The Odyssey of plastic pollution in the oceans

We hear about plastic all the time. But what is it, really? The word "plastic" comes from the Greek "plastikos", meaning "able to be moulded". The primary property of this material is therefore its high degree of malleability.
Plastic is also light, waterproof and, above all, inexpensive. These characteristics rapidly led to the material being used extensively: bottles, packaging, equipment, tools, toys... plastic is used in everything! See for yourself: look at the all the objects around you... crazy, isn't it?

Despite this, we feel like we're doing things right: we dispose of packaging in the bin, we sort it when we can… So how is plastic ending up in the oceans? According to the association Surfrider Foundation Europe, 80% of the waste in the oceans comes from inland: illegal dumping, industrial plastic pellet spillage, littering along roads, etc. Rivers and waterways then carry it all to the ocean. 10% comes from marine activities and their participants: fishing, recreational activities, shipping. Another 10% is waste left behind by beachgoers.

Until recently, there was talk of a 7th continent... of plastic. This patch of waste clumping together and drifting on the surface of the oceans is a myth. There are in fact 5 major ocean areas in the world where plastic microparticles (this is obviously not better). The effect of currents keeps them clumped together and stagnate there between the water's surface and up to 30 metres down.

Which means you can't really see them from a distance. Each ocean actually has its own plastic continent: The North Pacific — the largest garbage patch —, the North Atlantic, the Indian Ocean, and the South Pacific and Atlantic.

Having painted such a grim picture, let's talk "solutions". The good news is that possibilities already exist!
Efforts to rid the oceans of plastic particles are currently being pursued. Athletes are often the source of this.

The SeaCleaners
One notable example launched by famed skipper Yvan Bourgnon is the Manta project, a processing ship designed clean up the water. There is also the Ocean Clean'up floating barrier developed by Boyan Slat, a young Dutchman who became aware of the issue through scuba diving.

But while it's wonderful that these initiatives exist, they do have their limits. They only tackle visible pollution on the surface of the oceans, which is a relatively small part of the total plastic pollution, less than 0.6%. Everything else dissolves into microparticles, settling to the bottom of the ocean or being washed up again on the coast.

80% of the ocean is polluted by waste from human and land-based sources. Traces of human activity can be found everywhere, even in the most remote parts of the ocean. According to ADEME - rather unsurprisingly - plastic is the most common type of waste in the marine environment.

But that's not all: marine pollution also comes from fertiliser and pesticide emissions from agricultural operations, along with toxic substances, hydrocarbons and petrol spills.

While plastic accounts for more than half of the waste found along the coast, other materials are also present in smaller quantities. Examples include: glass, foam, rubber, metal and paper. 

Achieving a more rapid transition may also fall to each of us. As consumers, we can pay particular attention to what we buy and how it's packaged, only drink tap water, or buy things in bulk.

The very chemistry of plastic needs to be rethought, from product design to recycling to getting consumers to use it in more sustainable ways.