Plastic Pollution

Plastic pollution is the accumulation of plastic materials and particles in terrestrial and aquatic environments, negatively affecting the lives and habitats of all living beings, including humans. Each year, more than 450 million metric tons of plastic are produced, with a significant portion remaining in nature without degrading.

Plastics, produced using petroleum-based chemicals, are widely utilized in both personal and industrial activities. The majority of plastic waste accumulating in marine and terrestrial environments consists of single-use plastics such as PET bottles, caps, cigarette butts, plastic bags, and straws.

Facts About Plastic Pollution

To understand the scale of plastic pollution, here are some striking facts:

• - Tens of thousands of animals die each year due to entanglement in plastic waste.
• - An average of 9 microplastic particles have been found in human stomach samples.
• - Since plastics take 100-500 years to decompose, the first plastics ever produced still persist in nature.
• - On average, a human consumes 5 grams of microplastics per week, equivalent to the size of a credit card.
• - 700,000 microplastic particles are released into the water per wash cycle from washing machines.
• - The oceans contain 5.25 trillion microplastic particles, surpassing the number of stars in the sky.
• - If plastic production continues at the current rate, by 2050, the number of plastics in the oceans will exceed the number of fish.
  
  

What Are the Environmental Damages of Plastics?

Plastic pollution disrupts the ecological balance in several ways:

Food Safety and Quality Loss: Recent studies have reported the presence of microplastics in tap water, salt, and various foods and beverages.

Impact on Biodiversity: Microplastics of different sizes, shapes, and colors are ingested directly or indirectly by over 500 species, including mussels, fish, birds, sea turtles, and marine mammals.

Effects on Tourism and Economy: Plastic waste accumulating on coastlines negatively affects tourism and causes economic losses.

Connection to Climate Change: The processes of plastic production and waste management increase carbon emissions, exacerbating climate change.

Plastic pollution poses a threat to food security and quality, human health, coastal tourism, and is one of the contributors to climate change. Due to unconscious use and inadequate waste management, plastic waste accumulates in the environment, leading to biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation.

Are Plastics Harmful to Human Health?

Plastics, exposed to environmental factors such as physical (UV radiation, ocean currents) and biological agents (bacterial consumption and degradation), gradually break down into microplastics (particles smaller than 5 mm). Due to their surface properties, they can transport pathogenic bacteria, acting as disease vectors.

Additionally, plastics release chemical additives into their surroundings, some of which can accumulate in the food chain, reaching top-level consumers such as humans. Certain chemicals used in plastic production are carcinogenic and can cause developmental, reproductive, neurological, and immune system disorders.

Potential Health Risks of Plastics

Carcinogenic Risks: Some chemicals found in plastics may cause cancer.

Reproductive and Developmental Disorders: Toxic substances in plastics can disrupt the hormonal system.

Damage to the Immune and Nervous System: Decomposing plastics release harmful substances that can harm the nervous and immune systems.

What Can Be Done to Prevent Plastic Pollution?

To combat plastic pollution, governments must comply with regulations aimed at controlling, reducing, and preventing land- and marine-based plastic waste. International organizations such as the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and regional fisheries management organizations are working to prevent the accumulation of lost or abandoned fishing gear in marine ecosystems.

The UNEP Regional Seas Programme and the European Union’s Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) provide guidelines for sampling, analyzing, and recording marine litter, ensuring that data collected from different countries in the Mediterranean is comparable and usable. These guidelines recommend scientifically monitoring plastics and plastic fragments of different sizes on the coastline, on the seafloor, on the surface, and ingested by marine animals.

The main objectives of scientific monitoring studies include limiting plastic pollution levels, reducing the accumulation of plastics in coastal and aquatic habitats, and controlling the levels and effects of plastics in aquatic ecosystems. These efforts play a key role in solving the plastic pollution problem.

It is crucial for producers, importers, suppliers, and brand owners to take more responsibility in collecting, recycling, reusing, and managing plastic waste. Establishing properly separated recycling bins and dedicated plastic collection centers will also contribute significantly to reducing plastic pollution.

What Is the Mediterranean Conservation Society Doing to Fight Plastic Pollution?

The Mediterranean Conservation Society conducts research to assess the current state and sources of terrestrial and marine plastic pollution in the Datça-Bozburun Special Environmental Protection Area. Research efforts focus on analyzing the presence and distribution of microplastic pollution in surface seawater, sediment (marine and beach), and the water column. The data collected is used to increase awareness at the local and national levels.

Within the Datça-Bozburun Special Environmental Protection Area, additional research is conducted to identify the presence of macro- and mesoplastics on the coastline and seabed. Scientists are also working to determine the extent of microplastic contamination in economically valuable fish species. The organization also engages local communities and stakeholders in citizen science initiatives to raise awareness and encourage participation in plastic pollution reduction efforts.