wildsingapore news: marine-litter

Showing posts with label marine-litter. Show all posts

Showing posts with label marine-litter. Show all posts

Thailand: Beloved baby dugong 'Mariam' dies with plastic in stomach

Channel NewsAsia 17 Aug 19;

BANGKOK: A sick baby dugong whose fight for recovery won hearts in Thailand and cast a spotlight on ocean conservation has died from an infection exacerbated by bits of plastic lining her stomach, officials said on Saturday (Aug 17).

Mariam washed up in shallow waters off southwestern Thailand months ago and photos of her nuzzling playfully next to rescuers quickly went viral.

The discovery soon after of another orphaned dugong brought the sea cows celebrity status, the attention of a Thai princess - who named the second one "Jamil" - and round-the-clock webcasts giving viewers a front-row seat to feedings and treatment.

But Mariam died just after midnight after going into shock and efforts to resuscitate her failed, Chaiyapruk Werawong, head of Trang province marine park, told AFP.

Indonesia: Plastic monster raises Indonesians' awareness of menace of plastic

Antara 20 Jul 19;

Jakarta (ANTARA) - A civil society coalition of 49 environmental groups, including the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) and Greenpeace, launched a public awareness campaign highlighting the menace of single-use plastic bags by showcasing a plastic monster.

The plastic monster was displayed as a means of raising awareness among community members of the grave threat of marine debris akin to that posed by a dangerous monster, Chairperson of the Pandu Laut Nusantara (PLN) Prita Laura stated here on Saturday.

Several people are yet ignorant of the dangers posed by trash piles at sea to their lives. Hence, the community members need to be made aware of the fact that their daily lifestyle had contributed to the plastic waste crisis, she remarked.

Community sheds with litter-picking tools for beach clean-ups set up in Singapore parks

Channel NewsAsia 17 Jul 19;

SINGAPORE: Sheds with shared, reusable litter-picking tools dubbed CleanPods have been set up at three parks in Singapore, the Public Hygiene Council (PHC) and National Parks Board (NParks) said on Wednesday (Jul 17).

Volunteer groups who organise beach clean-ups will be able to reduce waste by using the tools provided in the community storage platform, the two agencies said.

The existing methods of organising such activities might potentially contribute to waste, PHC and NParks said.

Indonesia: Bali wins plastic-ban battle in Court, steps closer to being plastic-free island

Ni Komang Erviani The Jakarta Post 15 Jul 19;

Bali is on track to reduce plastic waste on the resort island after the Supreme Court rejected a judicial review that challenged the local administration’s limit on single-use plastic.

“[The verdict] means that the gubernatorial regulation that limits the use of single-use plastic has a strong legal position and can be applied across Bali,” Bali Governor Wayan Koster said Thursday.

Malaysia: Researchers find microplastics in sea salt

The Star 14 Jul 19;

THE increase in news reports of marine wildlife washing up dead on shores due to complications from ingesting plastic, brings to light the severity of plastic consumption, disposal of plastic and garbage, and pollution of our waterways and oceans.

The Great Pacific garbage patch so far is the largest accumulation of ocean plastic in the world. There are smaller accumulations scattered all around the world. If marine life has been affected, are humans at risk?

This is what piqued the interests of senior lecturers, Dr Jane Gew Lai Ti and Dr Yow Yoon Yen of the Department of Biological Sciences, School of Science and Technology at Sunway University.

Indonesia: Dead whale washed ashore in East Java

Antara 11 Jul 19;

Lumajang, E Java (ANTARA) - An 11-meter-long whale was found dead after it was washed ashore on the Bambang Beach of Lumajang District, East Java Province, on Thursday.

The ill-fated whale carcass was first found by Siyo, a resident of Rekesan Hamlet in Bago Village, Pasirian Subdistrict, Lumajang District, while he was on his way to his rice field near the Bambang Beach area.

"From the distance, I saw something big and stinky. After approaching it, I know it was a whale carcass," Siyo said.

Thailand: Hawksbill sea turtle killed by plastic waste in Gulf of Thailand

Pratch Rujivanarom The Thaiger & The Nation 2 Jul 19;

A hawksbill sea turtle which was found washed ashore Pattaya’s Na Jomtien Beach is just the latest victim of the Thailand severe marine debris problem .

The Royal Thai Navy’s Sea Turtle Conservation Centre found the rotting carcass on Chon Buri’s Na Jomtien Beach on Sunday. An autopsy reveals that the turtle’s stomach was full of plastic trash and bits of fishing net.

Working to keep Singapore's beaches clean

John Tan The New Paper 24 Jun 19;

Dressed in neon shirts and vests, with bright yellow construction boots, Mr Wong Hua Sun and Mr Chan Chee Yan gather at East Coast Park at 6am, along with eight other men.

They are part of a team responsible for a stretch along East Coast Park, from Area G to Area H, which is about 1.6km.

Part of Ramky Cleantech Services, a company hired by the National Environment Agency to clean public parks, these men are a reason why the park remains litter-free.

The men start their day with area cleaning, tidying up the barbecue pits and the surrounding area.

At first light, usually around 7am, their team moves down to the beach to clean it.

Asean needs to cooperate to solve marine debris, haze pollution and other transboundary environmental issues: PM Lee

Rachel Au-Yong Straits Times 22 Jun 19;

BANGKOK - The transboundary nature of many environmental challenges, from marine debris to haze pollution, "makes it impossible for any single country to solve the issue alone," Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Saturday (June 22).

This is why Singapore strongly supports Asean efforts to cooperate, he told his counterparts at the start of the 34th Asean Summit in Bangkok.

A meeting Singapore held among Asean ministers to discuss climate change issues last year, while it was Asean chair, prompted regional action on environmental issues, and PM Lee said he intends to keep the conversation going on this issue.

No ifs or butts: Cigarette rubbish is littering Singapore's coastline

Nicole Chang Channel NewsAsia 22 Jun 19;

SINGAPORE: Mention the phrase “marine litter” and chances are that images of plastic straws or bottles would be the first things to spring to mind.

Yet these items, while often found in local waters, pale in comparison to the number of cigarette butts littering the world’s shorelines.

Awareness of single-use plastic waste has been gaining traction in Singapore, most recently with the move by more than 270 food and beverage outlets to eliminate plastic straws.

But at a time when many other single-use plastic waste items - from plastic bags to single-use straws and cutlery - are facing growing public attention, have cigarette butts managed to slip under the radar?

MPA, conservation group team up to promote marine biodiversity

Lim Min Zhang Straits Times 10 Jun 19;

The Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) and local marine conservation group Our Singapore Reefs have teamed up to promote the importance of Singapore's marine biodiversity.

They will organise underwater clean-up activities and public outreach events each year as part of a three-year collaboration.

Kicking off the partnership as part of efforts to commemorate World Oceans Day last Saturday, 20 volunteer divers completed an underwater clean-up exercise in the southern waters around Lazarus Island yesterday.

Malaysia: Alarm as drifting ocean rubbish begins converging on Sipadan

Olivia Miwil New Straits Times 7 Jun 19;

SEMPORNA: Sipadan Island, among the few places on earth which provides an unforgettable experience for scuba divers, has not been spared from the blight of man-made floating trash currently polluting the world’s oceans.

Sipadan Island Park and Tun Sakaran Marine Park manager Boni Antiu said that a clean-up of waters off the isolated island in November yielded up to 60kg of rubbish on the beach and 2kg underwater.

“The trash found under the water line was not only (drifting) in the waters of dive sites, but also stuck on corals.

Plastic straws, cotton buds and drink stirrers to be banned in England

Government confirms ban on sale and use of items from April next year
Fiona Harvey The Guardian 22 May 19;

Plastic straws and drink stirrers, and cotton buds with plastic stems will be banned from sale and use in England from next April, the government has confirmed.

The move, which has been in the offing for more than a year, is hoped to vastly reduce the litter and other environmental impacts of the nearly 5bn plastic straws currently used each year in the UK, along with more than 300m plastic stirrers and close to 2bn cotton buds with plastic stems.

Huge numbers of these items, particularly cotton buds, are flushed down toilets or otherwise end up in litter – surveys have recently found waterways across the UK teeming with plastic, putting wildlife at risk.

Alternatives are available, including serving drinks without straws or stirrers, which is preferable, or using paper straws and biodegradable products in place of plastic stirrers and cotton buds. The only exceptions to the new rule will be for people with a medical need or disability, for whom plastic straws and other materials will be available upon request.

The EU is also moving to phase out plastics in various forms.

Diving in: Singapore scientists, volunteers on a mission to protect local reefs from marine trash

LOW YOUJIN Today Online 19 May 19;

SINGAPORE — As the divers navigated their way through Singapore’s southern waters, the beam from their flashlights came across a child-like hand sticking out from the murky depths.

They approached it with apprehension and, to their relief, discovered that it was a doll.

“It was during the Seventh Month (Hungry Ghost Festival)…It was so creepy that I couldn’t sleep the whole night!” said Ms Sam Shu Qin, 30, one of the founders of Our Singapore Reefs.

Undeterred by the spooky encounter, the team from the non-profit organisation has continued on their mission to clean up the waters around the southern islands of marine trash.

The debris poses a threat to the marine biodiversity in Singapore, said Ms Sam, a marine biologist.

Research is emerging on the environmental damage caused by plastic – the most common type of marine debris retrieved in Singapore, making up 57 per cent of the pieces retrieved.

A new study released on May 15 revealed that the production and incineration of plastic in 2019 will add more than 850 million metric tonnes of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere — equal to the pollution from 189 new 500-megawatt coal-fired power plants.

According to the report by the Center for International Environmental Law and other groups, oceans absorb as much as 40 percent of all human-produced carbon dioxide since the beginning of the industrial era.

A small but growing body of research suggests plastic discarded in the environment may be disrupting the ocean’s ability to absorb carbon dioxide, said the report, titled Plastic & Climate: The Hidden Costs of a Plastic Planet.

New Corrective Work Order vests introduced as littering offences rise

Channel NewsAsia 7 May 19;

SINGAPORE: Amid a spike in littering offences, Corrective Work Orders (CWOs) are being made more visible with new, brighter vests and signs put up at CWO locations.

Introduced in 1992, CWO involves making recalcitrant litterbugs pick up trash at public areas for between three and 12 hours. The penalty "carries an element of shame" which helps deter littering, according to Singapore authorities.

About 2,600 CWOs were issued last year, a 30 per cent rise compared to 2,000 cases in the previous year, the National Environment Agency (NEA) said on Tuesday (May 7).

A total of 39,000 tickets for littering offences were issued during the year – an increase of nearly 22 per cent compared with 32,000 cases in 2017.

New public awareness programme in 12 constituencies in push towards cleaner Singapore

Cheryl Teh Straits Times 28 Apr 19;

SINGAPORE - A new initiative to encourage members of the public to clean their community areas will begin next month.

Organised by the Public Hygiene Council, the Sustainable Bright Spot programme will be launched in stages across 12 constituencies.

It was one of three fresh efforts announced on Sunday (April 28) by Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli.

"The Sustainable Bright Spots programme is aimed at encouraging residents to keep their housing estates clean," said Mr Masagos.

"The hard truth is that many of us are still too dependent on an army of 58,000 workers who clean up our housing estates, roads, public walkways and waterways every day."

Indonesia: Minister launches Clean Indonesia Movement to reduce plastic waste

Antara 28 Apr 19;

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan accompanied by Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi and legendary Singer Titik Puspa, launched a Clean Indonesian Movement here, Sunday, to reduce plastic waste.

"The Clean Indonesian Movement is our common movement. Waste is our common enemy. Hence, it is our common responsibility to maintain Indonesia clean. Moreover, the waste treatment program has become a crucial government program that should be carried out by everybody," Pandjaitan said.

Jakarta produces at least eight thousand tons of plastic waste daily.

He called on the public to stop using single-use plastic products.

Dragon boat: DBS Marina Regatta 2019 adopts green theme to raise awareness on environmental issues

Laura Chia Straits Times 27 Apr 19;

SINGAPORE - When Emelyn Tan participated in the 2018 DBS Marina Regatta, she enjoyed the "invigorating atmosphere" at the carnival the most, which featured food and games stalls, and workshops on healthy eating.

"It was a great place to mingle, catch up with friends and spend time with family," said the 40-year-old teacher.

This year, she can look forward to more when the regatta takes place from May 31 to June 2 at The Promontory @ Marina Bay.

With the theme The Race Against Time, the eighth Marina Regatta aims to raise awareness on environmental issues and will use recycled, reusable and natural materials in its structures.

Recycling makes you feel less guilty but doesn’t change how huge our plastic problem is

Singapore’s focus should be on reducing recycling needs and prioritising efforts that encourage a less consumerist lifestyle to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, says Singapore Institute of Technology’s Assistant Professor Seck Tan.
Seck Tan Channel NewsAsia 20 Apr 19;

SINGAPORE: Plastic products are heavily used in Singapore.

A study by the Singapore Environment Council last year found that Singaporeans use at least 1.76 billion plastic bottles, bags and other disposable items yearly, of which only less than 20 per cent are recycled. The rest becomes discarded trash, left to burn or be put in landfills.

Worldwide, humans have created over 9.2 billion tonnes of plastic since the 1950s, scientists revealed in 2017, and only 25 per cent were recycled.

The popularity of plastic stems from its wide-ranging functions that satisfy consumer needs.

Six-decade plankton study charts rise of ocean plastic waste

Handwritten journals from 50s show how plastic problem has grown to global emergency
Jonathan Watts The Guardian 16 Apr 19;

A trove of data showing when the Atlantic began choking with plastic has been uncovered in the handwritten logbooks of a little-known but doggedly persistent plankton study dating back to the middle of the last century.

From fishing twine found in the ocean in the 50s, then a first carrier bag in 1965, it reflects how the marine refuse problem grew from small, largely ignored incidents to become a matter of global concern.

The unique dataset, published in Nature Communications, is based on records from the continuous plankton recorder, a torpedo-shaped marine sampling device that has been towed across more than 6.5m nautical miles of ocean over the past 60 years.

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