Small Garbage

"Protecting our environment". DG X, "Audiovisual, information, Communication, Culture", Cat No: CC-77-93-853-GR-C, Office for Official Publications of the E.C., L-2985 Luxembourg

The Mediterranean shores are shared between people and many marine organisms. Once clean, free of pollutants and tourism, there is now a steadily increasing coastline population of over 300 million and a huge tourist industry. Garbage is becoming a major threat to this fragile ecosystem, not least because the waters of this beautiful enclosed sea are only renewed after more than 100 years.

Every year millions of marine animals die worldwide, due to many types of pollution. But it is the small pieces of personal garbage, casually discarded on the beach, which are often the most damaging.

plastic bottles Once of the most common and destructive substances is plastic. Due to its strength, versatility, germ resistance and low cost, plastic packaging is used in a wide range of products. But its low cost of production takes no account of the high cost of its catastrophic impact on the environment. Firstly, common plastics take some 450 years to degrade, thus persisting as a threat for a long time.

Secondly due to the wide range of the plastic shapes, sizes and colours, and often close resemblance to food sources, species are apt to mistakenly eat these items. Indeed, research has shown that species select food according to colours, shapes or sizes. A transparent plastic bag in the water, looks very similar to a jellyfish, the favourite food of many sea turtles, resulting, once the bag has been ingested, in either the blockage of the digestive trace or the suffocation of the turtle. It has been discovered that one marine mammal had ingested 50 such bags.

Plastics constitute some 75% of all "recreational" waste found on beaches. All of it is harmful. Plastic bottle caps, drinking straws, string and sealing tabs are all swallowed by sea turtles along with plastic pens and beakers, which can break into small harmful pieces and have been found in large quantities, accumulated in the animals' stomachs. Plastic six-pack loops, that hold containers together, can appeal to young playful animals, such as seals and others. However, these games may result in the entrapment and strangulation of the animals.

In addition to these plastics there are even smaller items which cause equal amounts of damage. Plastic and foil sweet wrappers amongst others, can be consumed in mistake for small fish or crustaceans. They accumulate in the animal's gut and although the animal feels full, in reality it is dying of starvation.

Cigarette packets are a particular hazard. Firstly, there is the plastic pull strip and wrapper, which looks like small jellyfish once blown into the water. Then, there is the foil "freshness" wrapper, which resembles a fish, and the empty carton itself provides further pollution. Once the cigarette has been smoked, a concentrated accumulation of harmful substances is left in the discarded filter stub on the beach. These unattractive butts appear in their thousands on beaches across the Mediterranean, with unknown consequences on marine life. cigarette butt

All these items only represent a fraction of what is dumped without thought by beach users. In addition to all the above, many more items are washed up on the beaches through illegal dumping at sea by fishing fleets, cruise liners and the Navy.