80% of waste plastic in the sea comes from land-based sources

The Guardian reports, 9th August 2013: “Green turtles are swallowing plastic at twice the rate they did 25 years ago, according to a new study. The finding is based on data collected across the globe since the late 1980s and analysed by researchers at the University of Queensland.

Study leader and PhD candidate Qamar Schuyler says green and leatherback turtles are eating more plastic than ever before and more than any other form of debris.The ages of turtles and their habitats are also factors. “Our research revealed that young ocean-going turtles were more likely to eat plastic than their older, coastal-dwelling relatives,” Schuyler said.

Schuyler said an estimated 80% of debris comes from land-based sources.

That fact showed how critical it was to manage man-made debris at every point, from its manufacture to the point of a product’s consumption.

Source: Australian Associated Press and The Guardian, 9th August 2013. For the full text, see http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/aug/09/green-turtles-swallowing-plastic-study

Please do share this

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Delicious
  • StumbleUpon
  • Add to favorites
  • Email
  • RSS