Towards a Sustainable Ocean Ecosystem: Innovations in Plastic Pollution Mitigation, Policy Collaborations, and Technological Advancements
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47611/jsrhs.v12i4.5856Keywords:
Ocean Plastics, Clean world, Sustainability, Green, Ocean plastics recycling, Go green, Marine debris, Ocean health, Ocean plastic pollution, plastic recycling tech, marine conservation, Environmental Impact, Green innovation, microplastics, Ocean recoveryAbstract
The research delves into the multifaceted challenge of plastic pollution, specifically focusing on its presence in our oceans. Initially, the paper explores the history and significance of ocean clean-up initiatives, emphasizing the urgent need to address the detrimental impacts of plastic waste on marine ecosystems. Innovations in plastic recycling are highlighted, showcasing the technological advancements made in addressing plastic waste and the potential these innovations hold for reshaping marine ecosystem preservation. Furthermore, the economic ramifications of plastic recycling are elucidated, presenting a balanced view of its economic growth potential and environmental responsibility. The study then delves into the health implications of microplastics, exploring their potential effects on human health, emphasizing the urgent need for comprehensive research in this realm. Behavioral economics emerges as a strategic tool in understanding and promoting plastic reduction, illuminating how human behaviors can be influenced for environmental benefit. The research also sheds light on the profound economic potential of the plastic recycling industry, with emphasis on its role in fostering circular economies. Finally, the importance of collaboration between policy and industry is underscored, highlighting both the promises and challenges of collective action in the fight against plastic pollution. In conclusion, addressing plastic pollution necessitates an integrated approach that combines technology, economics, policy, and collective will. Recommendations emphasize the need for more robust policy frameworks, continuous technological innovations, and public awareness campaigns to mitigate this pressing environmental concern.
Downloads
References or Bibliography
Allcott, H. (2011). Social norms and energy conservation. Journal of Public Economics, 95(910), 10821095.
Alliance to End Plastic Waste. (n.d.). About the Alliance. Retrieved from https://endplasticwaste.org/about
AlSalem, S. M., Antelava, A., Constantinou, A., & Manos, G. (2021). A review on thermal and catalytic pyrolysis of plastic solid waste (PSW). Journal of Environmental Management, 279, 111709.
Auras, R., Harte, B., & Selke, S. (2009). An overview of polylactides as packaging materials. Macromolecular Bioscience, 4(9), 835864.Ellen MacArthur Foundation. (2016). The new plastics economy: Rethinking the future of plastics. Retrieved from https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/publications/thenewplasticseconomyrethinkingthefutureofplastics
Baas, L. W., Lagerwerf, L. F., van Berkel, R., de Kraker, J., & Lankreijer, R. M. (2019). Recycling as a source of employment: A developing country perspective. Journal of Cleaner Production, 227, 795806.
Basel Convention. (2019). Amendment to the Basel Convention to Include Plastic Waste in the Control Regime. Retrieved from https://www.basel.int/Portals/4/Basel%20Convention/docs/text/BaselConventiontexte.pdf
Boucher, J., Friot, D., Pivoine, M., Kreb, D., & Akhbarizadeh, R. (2017). Plastics: Facts and Figures. In Boucher J., Friot D. (Eds.), The Plastic Problem (pp. 122). UNEP.
Browne, M. A., Crump, P., Niven, S. J., Teuten, E., Tonkin, A., Galloway, T., & Thompson, R. (2020). Accumulation of microplastics on shorelines worldwide: Sources and sinks. Environmental Science & Technology, 54(2), 774782.
Cullen, J. D., Froyland, G., SkernMauritzen, M., & Misund, O. A. (2019). Marine plastic pollution reduces fish catch rates and alters fish behavior. Scientific Reports, 9(1), 18.
Duyck, S., De Meester, S., Cauwenberghe, L. V., & Mees, J. (2021). Plastic pollution governance in the EU: Gaps in EU policies and national transposition. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 163, 111962.
EFSA (European Food Safety Authority). (2016). Presence of microplastics and nanoplastics in food, with particular focus on seafood. EFSA Journal, 14(6), e04501.
Ellen MacArthur Foundation. (2016). The new plastics economy: Rethinking the future of plastics. Retrieved from https://www.ellenmacarthurfou
Ellen MacArthur Foundation. (2018). New Plastics Economy Global Commitment. Retrieved from https://www.newplasticseconomy.org/projects/globalcommitment
European Commission. (2019). Directive (EU) 2019/904 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 June 2019 on the reduction of the impact of certain plastic products on the environment. Retrieved from https://eurlex.europa.eu/legalcontent/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32019L0904
European Commission. (2020). Regulation (EC) No 1013/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 June 2006 on shipments of waste. Retrieved from https://eurlex.europa.eu/legalcontent/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32006R1013
Farrow, K., Grolleau, G., Ibanez, L., & Angus, S. D. (2017). Nudging farmers to comply with water protection rules: The role of a public goods game. Land Economics, 93(2), 292311.
Greenpeace. (2020). Checking Out on Plastics III: What supermarkets are doing to reduce singleuse plastic packaging. Retrieved from https://www.greenpeace.org/static/planet4belgiumstateless/2020/06/18/bc0f9ce5checkingoutonplasticsiii.pdf
Hahladakis, J. N., Iacovidou, E., & Closing the loop on plastic packaging materials: What is quality and how does it affect their circularity?, Waste Management, Volume 79, 2018, Pages 413415.
Hansen, P. G., Skov, L. R., & Skov, K. L. (2013). Making healthy choices easier: Regulation versus nudging. Annual Review of Public Health, 34, 237251.
Hartmann, N. B., Ri Cullen, J. D., Froyland, G., SkernMauritzen, M., & Misund, O. A. (2019). Marine plastic pollution reduces fish catch rates and alters fish behavior. Scientific Reports, 9(1), 18.
Jambeck, J. R., Geyer, R., Wilcox, C., Siegler, T. R., Perryman, M., Andrady, A., … & Law, K. L. (2015). Plastic waste inputs from land into the ocean. Science, 347(6223), 768771.
Law, K. L., MoretFerguson, S., Maximenko, N. A., Proskurowski, G., Peacock, E. E., Hafner, J., & Reddy, C. M. (2014). Plastic accumulation in the North Atlantic subtropical gyre. Science, 329(5996), 11851188.
Lebreton, L., Slat, B., Ferrari, F., Sainte-Rose, B., Aitken, J., Marthouse, R., Hajbane, S., Cunsolo, S., Schwarz, A., Levivier, A., Noble, K., Debeljak, P., Maral, H., Schoeneich-Argent, R., Brambini, R., & Reisser, J. (2018). Evidence that the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is rapidly accumulating plastic. Scientific Reports, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-22939-w
Lebreton, L., van der Zwet, J., Damsteeg, J. W., Slat, B., Andrady, A., & Reisser, J. (2017). River plastic emissions to the world's oceans. Nature Communications, 8(1), 110.
Ogunseitan, O. A., Schoenung, J. M., Saphores, J. D., & Shapiro, A. A. (2009). The electronics revolution: from ewonderland to ewasteland. Science, 326(5953), 670671.
Parker, L. (2021). Breaking Free from Plastic: Global Development and Ecological Modernization. Annals of the American Association of Geographers, 117.
Rochman, C. M., Hoh, E., Kurobe, T., & Teh, S. J. (2013). Ingested plastic transfers hazardous chemicals to fish and induces hepatic stress. Scientific Reports, 3, 3263.
Schultz, P. W., Nolan, J. M., Cialdini, R. B., Goldstein, N. J., & Griskevicius, V. (2007). The constructive, destructive, and reconstructive power of social norms. Psychological Science, 18(5), 429434.
Schymanski, D., Goldbeck, C., Humpf, H. U., & Fürst, P. (2018). Analysis of microplastics in water by microRaman spectroscopy: Release of plastic particles from different packaging into mineral water. Water Research, 129, 154162.
Smith, M., Tyssen, C. M., & Zaman, A. U. (2020). Recycling of mixed plastic waste – Options for improving recovery rates. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 160, 104894.
Soman, D. (2001). The mental accounting of sunk time costs: Why time is not like money. Journal of Behavioral Decision Making, 14(3), 169185.
Thaler, R. H., & Sunstein, C. R. (2008). Nudge: Improving decisions about health, wealth, and happiness. Yale University Press.
Thompson, R. C., Moore, C. J., Vom Saal, F. S., & Swan, S. H. (2009). Plastics, the environment and human health: current consensus and future trends. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 364(1526), 21532166
Wang, W., Ndungu, A. W., Li, Z., & Wang, J. (2020). Microplastics pollution in inland freshwaters of China: A case study in urban surface waters of Wuhan, China. Science of The Total Environment, 712, 136474.
Wilson, D. C., & Velis, C. (2015). Waste management, informal recycling, environmentalism and quality of life in informal settlements: A case study from Nairobi, Kenya. Habitat International, 48, 100109.
Wright, S. L., Thompson, R. C., & Galloway, T. S. (2013). The physical impacts of microplastics on marine organisms: A review. Environmental Pollution, 178, 483492.
Zaman, A. U., & Lehmann, S. (2017). An assessment of transboundary plastic waste trade in the context of international trade law. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 120, 164174.
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
Copyright (c) 2023 Sachin Jaiganesh; Dr. Harini Mittal, Ph.D.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Copyright holder(s) granted JSR a perpetual, non-exclusive license to distriute & display this article.