What is marine debris?
Learn why we protect the ocean from marine debris and microplastics.
What is marine debris?
Marine debris is made up of man-made items that end up in the marine environment. It is defined as any persistent, manufactured or processed solid material discarded, disposed of or abandoned in the marine and coastal environment (UN Environment Program, 2009).
Marine debris can injure or kill marine and coastal wildlife, damage and degrade habitats, interfere with navigational safety, cause economic loss to fishing and maritime industries, degrade the quality of life in coastal communities and threaten human health and safety. Marine debris is a prevalent pollution issue globally and may also play a role in climate change.
What are microplastics?
Microplastics are small plastic pieces less than 5mm in size.
They can be plastic fragments, fibres or pellets. Often smaller than a grain of sand and invisible to the naked eye, they have been found in all the world’s oceans and continents, from the deepest sea to the highest mountain peaks, and even in the air we breathe.
Microplastics have been found in more than 114 aquatic species. They are suspected of working their way up the marine food chain. Shockingly, they have also been found in human tissues and organs, the health implications of this are not yet fully known.
We prevent and reduce marine debris
Tangaroa Blue Foundation works with partner organisations and volunteers to clean-up beaches across Australia and gather vital data through the Australian Marine Debris Initiative (AMDI) Database – in order to reduce marine debris at its source. Find out more about our clean-ups or how we implement source reduction plans.
