Some relevant numbers
- 500,000,000,000 plastic bags are consumed worldwide every year,
- 123,000 tons of debris entire the oceans every day,
- 90% of macro waste is made of plastic,
- 70% will eventually sink,
- 1,000,000 seabirds and 100,000 marine mammals are killed by macro waste every year.
Waste, at its origin...
A universal definition of macro-waste does not exist so it is first essential to understand what waste is.
According to Larousse's dictionary, waste is "the unrecoverable loss of something". This definition can be completed by the July 15 1975 European law that adds the criteria of "an object abandoned by its owner".
So, waste can be any object left by an individual; me, you, us, our friends and family- becoming unrecoverable and useless.
From waste to macro-waste, a cyclical history
The abandonment of an object creates waste. And it's done. If waste were to follow the cycle of treatment it would become again a useable.
Unfortunately, all it takes is a negligent act or a gust of wind to break the cycle. It ultimately becomes macro-waste, which in terms of the marine environment, as defined by the RAMOGE accords, is "waste, coming from human activity, floating at the surface or immerged, transported by marine currents or rivers to the coast and left on beaches".
In summary, macro-waste is an object that has been littered, regardless of where, and is eventually found on our beaches and coastline.
What type of waste is found?
It's made up primarily of packaging: plastic bags and bottles, various wrappers, glass bottles, soda cans, etc. as well as, fishing material, and various rubber and leather goods.
A few sobering examples of the impact of macro-waste on our environment are available on Surfrider Foundation Europe's website.
