At GreenSeas Trust, we aim to prevent and end marine plastic pollution. This is one of the most pressing contemporary environmental issues with a myriad of global impacts.
Plastic pollution harms and kills wildlife such as fish, turtles and seabirds. It ollutes our beaches and is in our food chain. An estimated 12 million tonnes of plastic enters our oceans every year. The solution is unfortunately not as simple as scooping it out of the sea. Most plastic waste is microscopic in size and is not found floating on the surface. Instead, we need to prevent plastic from entering our coastal ecosystems, which means we need to look at where the plastic is coming from.
Impact of plastic pollution in rivers
So how does all that plastic end up in the ocean – it certainly doesn’t just appear there! Whilst we know the plastic which ends up in the ocean is a result of human activity, we also know it isn’t all coming from coastal communities. A study (Meijer et al. 2021) estimated that more than 1000 rivers contribute to 80% of marine plastic pollution enters rivers before being brought to the sea, making them an important source to examine and clean up.
Even before the plastic flows into the sea, it can wreak havoc on river ecosystems. Fish and other wildlife residing in or by the river can accidentally consume the plastic, creating health issues or leading to death. And as the plastic moves through the river, it can absorb toxins which end up back on our plates through the food chain. It also harms the water quality, making the river dangerous and less suitable for recreational activities. And most alarmingly, despite the significant amounts of plastic waste carried to the ocean via river, the majority has actually been found to remain within the river system, creating plastic reservoirs throughout where plastic collects riverside, or in lakes or estuaries.
Plastic in UK rivers
In the UK, we have around 1500 fluvial (river) systems, adding to over 200,000 km of waterways! A significant proportion of the 200 annual tonnes of waste removed from the River Thames in London was plastics. Many studies also suggest other rivers in the UK suffer from plastic pollution. Moreover, the problem has gotten significantly worse over the last couple of decades. Single use plastic items now making up over four-fifths of the items cleaned from the foreshore. Equally concerning is that in 2018, the River Tame in Greater Manchester was found to have the greatest concentration of microplastic pollution ever measured in any aquatic ecosystem. Around the same time, The River Mersey was criticised for its high levels of plastic pollution.
Microplastics covers various forms of plastic pollution, including microbeads, microfibres from synthetic clothing and fragments. Clearly, our UK rivers are a critical front in the battle against plastic pollution.
What can we do?
If you live by a river, join or organise a local river clean up to keep it plastic free! And if that’s not accessible for you, you can get involved by simply reducing the amount of plastic waste you produce. Not only will this help protect the ocean, but it will also significantly contribute to the health of our river systems. We at GreenSeas Trust have compiled some tips for a few easy swaps or changes you can make to help save the planet here.
Additionally, we’ve been working hard to do our part, and are excited to announce there are now four BinForGreenSeas bins along the River Thames, with the 4th recently installed opposite the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Headquarters! (Watch the unveiling here!) And as always, if you’re interested in a BinForGreenSeas in your local area, write to your councillor about the BinForGreenSeas project! We have a letter template available here.