The fight against plastic pollution +REPLAY WITH UPDATED LEAD IN +
63 views · Published 12 November 2018 · 5:26 · Indexed 23 October 2026
Channel: AP Archive · 2018 · News & Politics
(7 Nov 2018) LEADIN: Collins Dictionary says we're hearing a lot more of "single-use." The adjective applied to disposable plastic products has been named the dictionary's 2018 word of the year. Collins says use of the term has risen fourfold since 2013, as pollution climbs the political agenda. In Thailand, locals and foreigners are working together to try to rid the country's beaches of rubbish that can include anything from hospital waste to plastic bottles and carrier bags. STORYLINE: A 2017 report by Ocean Conservancy says that just five countries - China, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam - dump more plastic into the ocean than the rest of the world combined. The report says plastic pollution is killing marine life and that toxic fragments from plastic can end up in the food-chain causing ill health. The largest organisation working to solve the plastic pollution problem in Thailand is the Switzerland based non-profit Trash Hero. The group organises weekly garbage pick-ups throughout Thailand and the region aimed at cleaning up the environment and raising awareness of the plastic problem. Once collected the litter is passed to the local state collection service and eventually ends up in a landfill. UK expat Jonathan Milnes, on the left, is an underwater photographer and Trash Hero Koh Chang volunteer. "There's many problems as far as the garbage is concerned. A certain percentage of it comes from people buying something from the store. They get it wrapped in three carrier bags. They get a spoon and a straw thrown in. When they're finished with it it doesn't always end up in the bin. I think another percentage of it comes in with the tides and the tide can bring a lot of plastic pollution for example, that is washed… originally washed down the river, or downstream into the sea, and then it kind of finds its way washed up onto the beaches in Thailand and it might not have actually have originated from Thailand," he says. Regular clean-ups help to keep the plastic pollution problem under control, at least temporarily. But every high-tide deposits a fresh line of plastic garbage washed up on many beaches. Isolated beaches like this one that are not cleaned regularly are the worst affected. Tour guide and Trash Hero volunteer Thomas Koch says that this beach on Kog Chang was last cleaned just six months ago. Today there is a 3 feet thick layer of plastic waste piled up on the beach with more being added every day. "It comes from Vietnam, China, Cambodia and yes from Thailand too. And it comes in many different forms. There's hospital and medical waste, household items, lighters, children's shoes. This is from fisherman. Clothes hangers like this one are from the city on the mainland for sure. They throw them in the wrong place and they are washed down the rivers, ending up in the ocean," says Koch. Plastic can take hundreds if not thousands of years to biodegrade which means that it is constantly building up, both on land and in the sea. According to the Earth Day Network, 8.3 billion tonnes of plastic have been produced since it was first introduced in the 1950s, less than 10 percent of which has been recycled. It says that nearly one million plastic bottles and 2 million plastic bags are used globally every minute and that around 8 million tonnes of plastic ends up in the world's oceans each year. And as stated by Thailand's Pollution Control Department, plastic waste in the country continues to increase at a rate of around 12 per cent per year, or around 2 million tonnes. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/e2257ee6dc8d342fb8453e4b41b37d7b
