National Geographic have stated that 18 billion pounds of plastic waste enters our oceans from coastal areas. The equivalent of five grocery bags of plastic on every foot of coastline! In order to tackle this problem, meet Australia’s solution to plastic pollution.
This has a negative impact on marine life. Animals can choke on plastic items or starve as they have eaten large amounts.
Single use packaging accounts for 40% of plastic waste with less than half recycled.
The Plastic Pollution Solution
Kwinana Authorities have installed nets on pipe outlets to capture waste. This simple idea prevents said waste from entering the oceans or harming the environment.
Benefits:
- The nets prevent contamination to the environment
- A reduction in plastic that enters the oceans
- The system is performing well
But, water that contains trash and litter is still a big problem. As the water drains away, so does the litter which can then harm the environment.
Heavy rains also cause problems as the water carries litter and trash to drain networks.
When the systems was first installed, there were only two nets. They caught 800 pounds of garbage over two weeks!
Litter traps have been installed in numerous areas as a result.
The Idea in a Nutshell
The system is profitable despite high manufacturing and installation costs (10,000 Australian dollars) as it provides cost savings and will continue to do so.
When the nets are full, they are taken to a trash sorting centre and the recyclable and non-recyclable waste is separated. When empty again, the nets are placed back onto pipe outlets to catch more waste.
This is Australia’s solution to plastic pollution.