The myth of plastic recycling: A lot of useful information on plastic recycling here. Key points include that we cannot recycle our way out of the plastic crisis – because there is just too much plastic, and the demand for recycled plastic is not strong enough. We should choose recycled plastic, over virgin plastic; and we must commit to using less plastic and substitute where possible from plastics, to other, more sustainable products.

Watch here:

Some elemental moments in our lives seem to last forever.
Less romantically plastics is forever too...so it's time to get clever about managing it!

Pierce Brosnan, 69, and his 21-year-old a filmmaker/environmental activist son Paris star in a new video in partnership with the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions - encouraging steps to curb the global plastic waste crisis.

Read the article to find out more and watch the video!

Also, I am personally very interested in the role that very well-known people can play to address the climate, biodiversity and pollution crises, influencing the ideas of thousands around the globe.
What are your thoughts on this? Do you find it useful?

Hi everyone - I am working on agricultural plastics with FAO - plastic products used throughout crop, livestock, fishery and forestry value chains. Very pleased to join this group and thanks to Octavia for posting about the event that we organised at the BRS COP last week. Here's a link to the report that FAO published last December - https://doi.org/10.4060/cb7856en

Some useful information for SIDS on agricultural plastics at the recent FAO side event:

Plastic is now used in all aspects of agriculture, this includes: polymer-coated fertilizer, drip irrigation, irrigation pipes, plant support ties, pesticide containers, harvesting crates, nets for bales, film wrap for bales, covers for bunkers, ear tags, tree guards, tree labels, fishing nets, boat gear, traps for shellfish.
There are some promising alternatives including: biomass to replace plastic notching films, reusable and durable products such as glass and durable plastic covers for greenhouses, and biodegradable polymers.
The soon to be negotiated plastics treaty will be complex and doesn’t ensure the eradication of plastics in agriculture practices. The FAO Committee on Agriculture is considering a new voluntary code of conduct.
Plastic can influence the carbon and nutrient cycle due to changes in soil structure and microbial/fungal abundance; plastic in soil can be exported to other ecosystems by waterflow and coastal/marine environments; and mulch film is a large source of plastic in the soil, as is sewage sludge which accumulates large amounts of microplastics
Proposed solutions include: nature based solutions like: nature positive food production (regenerative, non-depleting, and non-destructive use of naturel sources).
Ghost gear is an issue for SIDS. That is fishing gear left in the water. Best practice management is: prevention (eg. limit on time gear can be left in the water, providing somewhere to dispose of old gear at port); mitigation (eg: lost gear reporting systems), and cure (clearing lost gear hotspots, retrieving gear while at sea)

How Artificial Intelligence is Changing Ocean Cleanup from Plastics

Oceans cover 71% of our planet and contain a volume of plastic that has become so high that “in just a few years, we might end up with a pound of plastic for every three pounds of fish in the sea”.

By combining machine learning, satellite data, and drone technology, scientists are equipped to remotely detect plastic waste hotspots, quantify marine litter, and even detect tiny plastic pieces floating in oceans.

Marine Litter Workshop

On April 7, 2022, the AFD-funded Committing to Sustainable Waste Actions in the Pacific (SWAP) Project implemented by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) hosted a Marine Litter Workshop with participation from Sustainable Coastlines, Ocean Conservancy and the Vanuatu Environmental Science Society.

Many of you attended this workshop, and we thank you for that as well as your active participation in the discussions and feedback provided.
For people who were unable to attend the workshop or those who wish to review it, please find the link below.

Thanks Julie Pillet for sharing!