“An Implementation Strategy for the California Ocean Protection Council Resolution to Reduce and Prevent Ocean Litter” is our site of the day

California's Ocean Protection Council (OPC) staff today released “An Implementation Strategy for the California Ocean Protection Council Resolution to Reduce and Prevent Ocean Litter”.

This is a 23 page “final draft,” open for comments, that contains the strategy to reduce and eliminate ocean litter by banning plastic bags and containers statewide. Recommendations also call for plastic manufacturers to recover and dispose of their products and for product user fees to be assessed.

If you read this report, you will find out how serious the problems our ocean has from litter, how it affects fish and marine mammals, and why it is so important that California take bold action.

Action will not come without strong opposition from the plastics industry. This report sets the stage for action that will have far reaching benefit for ocean health—but only once it has been adopted by the OPC. Most of the recommendations will require legislation to be enacted.

The implementation strategy identifies three primary approaches that California should take to eliminate marine debris. California should: (1) establish a "take-back" program for many types of product packaging that would require plastic packaging manufacturers to take these products back and dispose of them properly; (2) institute a statewide prohibition on single-use plastic bags and polystyrene takeout containers; and (3) impose fees on other packaging.

OPC staff is seeking comments on the draft in writing by August 21. Staff will incorporate changes to the draft based on comments received. The OPC is also soliciting public comment during its meeting September 11 at 9 a.m. in Half Moon Bay.

Just take a look at how the report begins in describing the current situation off California’s coast and you will recognize what is at stake:

“Ocean litter – also commonly referred to as “marine debris” – is a persistent and growing problem worldwide. The general composition of ocean litter is 60-80% plastics, although it has reached 90-95% in some areas. Plastic debris in an area north of Hawaii known as the Northwest Pacific Gyre has increased 5-fold in the last 10 years. Similarly, off Japan’s coast, researchers found that floating particles of plastic debris increased 10-fold in 10 years from the
1970s through 1980s, and then 10-fold again every 2-3 years in the 1990s. In the Southern Ocean, the amount of plastic debris increased 100 times during the early 1990s. These are just a few examples of an expanding body of research that demonstrate that, despite the MARPOL international treaty prohibition on dumping plastics at sea, debris in the oceans is increasing at an alarming rate. This is due to the fact that 80% of the debris comes from land-based sources, particularly trash and plastic litter in urban runoff, and the generation of trash and waste is increasing.”

“During the last 10 years, the Southern California Coastal Water Research Project (SCCWRP) and the Algalita Marine Research Foundation (AMRF) have conducted studies to identify and quantify ocean litter in 4 marine habitats: the beach, the ocean bottom, the ocean water column, and the ocean surface. The ocean bottom is dominated by larger material, such as fishing gear and beverage containers. The water column contains mostly plastic fragments, small enough to be suspended by ocean currents. The ocean surface contains fragments and whole items of floating plastic trash. The beach environment contains a combination of different materials that differ in size and composition according to distance from the water’s edge. The environmental impacts associated with ocean litter will vary by habitat with aesthetic issues being more important on beaches, and food web concerns being more significant for the small surface
material.

“In the ocean, plastic debris injures and kills fish, seabirds and marine mammals. Ocean litter is known to have affected at least 267 species worldwide, including 86% of all sea turtle species, 44% of all seabird species and 43% of all marine mammal species. The impacts include fatalities as a result of ingestion, starvation, suffocation, infection, drowning, and entanglement. Seabirds that feed on the ocean surface are especially prone to ingesting plastic debris that floats. The laysan albatross, black-footed albatross, and northern fulmar frequently ingest a wide array of plastics including bottle caps, cigarette lighters, toys, party balloons, and fragments of consumer goods. Adults feed these items to their chicks that often die of starvation because their stomachs become filled with debris. Other species – such as phalaropes, shearwaters and auklets – ingest small fragments of plastic consumer products and preproduction industrial plastic pellets.

“Because persistent organic pollutants in the marine environment attach to plastic debris, plastic pellets and fragments have been found to be a transport mechanism for toxic substances in the marine environment. Floating and migrating plastic debris has also been found to transport invasive marine species.

"Economic impacts associated with ocean litter are also significant. For example, in the 2005/06
fiscal year Caltrans alone spent $55 million to remove litter and debris from roadsides and highways, the vast majority of which ultimately drain to the ocean. The County of Los Angeles (L.A.) Department of Public Works and the Flood Control District annually spend $18 million per year on street sweeping, catch basin cleanouts, cleanup programs, and litter prevention and education efforts. Coastal communities spend considerable funds on beach cleaning, and in some areas, cleaning trash out of catch basins and other structures designed to trap trash from storm water. For example, L.A. County collects over 4,000 tons of trash annually on its beaches. In 1994, L.A. County spent over $4 million to clean 31 miles of beaches….

“The National Ocean Economics Program calculated the value of California’s “ocean-dependent economy” at $46 billion. The largest portion of this figure was attributable to recreation. While California has never assessed the loss of tourism dollars associated with littered beaches and coastal areas, we can look across the country for some sense of what the impact might be. A major release of trash from New York landfills to the ocean caused major debris incidents on
New Jersey beaches and resulted in an estimated loss of $1 billion, primarily due to decreased coastal visitation in 1987 and 1988.”

There’s a lot more in this report—including the all important details of implementation of what is needed to clean up plastic and other debris. The report is footnoted and is a treasure trove of information for all who care about the oceans, our beaches, who eat fish, or who care about the health of the California economy. You will be hearing a lot more about this.