PLASTICS AND ENVIRONMENT
Surfers lobby EU to recognise macro wastes / Group says plastic bags pollute French coast
The non-profit Surfrider Foundation Europe (Biarritz / France; www.surfrider.eu) is lobbying for recognition of so-called macro wastes (rubbish) as a pollutant that needs regulation under EU legislation. The organisation already has collected around 25,000 signatures to present to the European maritime affairs commissioner on 20 May 2010 during the “European Maritime Days” at Gijón / France.
Surfrider said macro waste (made up of about 75% of plastics, worldwide) was not regulated in either of two recent EU directives, “Bathing Waters” (2006/7 EC) or “Strategy for the Marine Environment” (2008/56/EC). As an example of the extent of the worldwide problem, the group points to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch – see Plasteurope.com of 25.08.2009 – which it says is “seven times the size of France.” Some 15,000 t of plastic bags are estimated to be circulating at mid depth in France’s Gulf of Gascogne, with 50,000 t resting at the bottom of the Gulf.
Surfrider said macro waste (made up of about 75% of plastics, worldwide) was not regulated in either of two recent EU directives, “Bathing Waters” (2006/7 EC) or “Strategy for the Marine Environment” (2008/56/EC). As an example of the extent of the worldwide problem, the group points to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch – see Plasteurope.com of 25.08.2009 – which it says is “seven times the size of France.” Some 15,000 t of plastic bags are estimated to be circulating at mid depth in France’s Gulf of Gascogne, with 50,000 t resting at the bottom of the Gulf.
19.11.2009 Plasteurope.com [214863]
Published on 19.11.2009