We need a plastic-free aisle in all supermarkets as our oceans reach breaking point Covering almost three-quarters of the earth, the world’s oceans often appear untainted by mankind’s worst excesses. Global seas are teeming […]

Covering almost three-quarters of the earth, the world’s oceans often appear untainted by mankind’s worst excesses. Global seas are teeming with life, providing a home for a vast array of flora and fauna. Despite the pristine exterior, the tranquil surface belies the true extent of the plastic pollution crisis facing global oceans.

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With our insatiable appetite for throwaway plastic showing no signs of letting up, we risk doing irreparable damage to global seas in the decades ahead.

From plastic bags to royal Tupperware

Since the first polyethylene bag appeared in the UK in the 1950s, plastic has been an ever-present feature of our day-to-day lives. Plastic has seared itself into British culture, with a royal footman in 2003 confirming that the Queen is served breakfast cereal from Tupperware containers.

Our decades-long addiction to plastic has come at a heavy price. We dump around 8 million tonnes of plastic into oceans each year, ensuring the planet’s seas are choking on our rubbish. Just 5% of the detritus is visible on the surface of the ocean, with most of the plastic debris submerged beneath.

Our collective failure to stem the tide of plastic pollution has proven catastrophic for hordes of marine life. Ocean plastic kills around a million seabirds and more than 100,000 animals each year.

In January 2016, 29 sperm whales stranded on shores around the North Sea were found to have died as a result of their stomachs becoming clogged with toxic plastic debris. Confusing plastic for food, the sperm whales choked to death on a hideous mix of discarded packaging and carrier bags.

The scourge of ocean plastic isn’t restricted to European waters. First identified in the mid-eighties, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is an insidious smog of plastic marine debris thought to cover an area equivalent to the size of India. With plastic outnumbering plankton six to one, the consequences for wildlife have been dire. Death by plastic becoming an increasingly real prospect for scores of sea turtles and albatrosses.

Our oceans have reached breaking point. We simply can’t go on like this.

Recycling isn’t the whole solution

Recycling is often touted as the answer to the plastic crisis, but every piece of plastic ever made – unless it has been burned – still exists. Many developed economies have witnessed an explosion in recycling rates since the turn of the century, but the ocean rubbish heap is growing exponentially. Despite endless government initiatives to divert waste away from landfill, only a third of plastic waste is currently recycled in the UK

Clearly it would be ludicrous to call for a blanket ban on plastic packaging. Plastic remains a versatile and useful material. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t take decisive steps to reduce our reliance on it. A good start would be to make it easier for consumers to choose products not laden with throwaway plastic packaging.

Campaign group A Plastic Planet is bidding to convince UK supermarkets that a Plastic Free Aisle would be both good for business and the environment. It’s clear that providing a supermarket aisle featuring only goods sold in biodegradable packaging would empower shoppers to reject goods laden with single-use plastic.

With global seas in the midst of an existential crisis, UK plc has to step up and take the lead in tackling the scourge of ocean plastic.

Professor Robert Marsh is Head of the Physical Oceanography Research Group at the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton