On plastics in the sea and The Seabin Project

According to the Green Peace study A Mediterranean Full of Plastic. Less Plastic, More Mediterranean, plastics constitute up to 90% of the total marine waste in the world. It has gotten out of hand.

Since humans began mass production of plastic in the 1950s, it is estimated that we have 50 trillion plastic waste fragments in the ocean, which amounts to more than 268,940 tons floating in the sea, not including debris on the seabed or beaches. A massive problem never before seen or foreseen.

The presence of plastics in our oceans is not only due to increased use of this material but also to poor waste management. Let us not forget that most plastic products are intended for single use, leading to the vast amounts of waste they generate.

All of this has a tremendously negative impact on marine biodiversity, but also on tourism revenue, as the sea washes a great deal of waste up to our beaches, which is not appreciated by our visitors.

According to Greenpeace, it is estimated that more than 1,300 species have interacted with marine waste through colonization, ingestion, strangulation, suffocation, or other ways. Increasingly, there are images online of fish, cetaceans, and other species that have died from ingesting plastics they confuse with food or getting caught in fishing nets, can rings… which could pose another added problem in the future: transmission to the food chain (toxicity and microplastics in fish and seafood). We can’t keep looking the other way. It’s time to act.

Although at Reusa we specialize in vegetable oil recycling, we are particularly sensitive to all environmental problems and fully aware of the global need to collaborate in all kinds of actions for the environment. Fortunately, many foundations, associations, and organizations are working to reduce humanity's footprint on the planet.

One of them is The Seabin Project, (a globally recognized organization for its recent prototype of a "water bin" to be placed in marinas, which has already been presented with great success in China, Japan, Australia…) with whom we have already laid the groundwork for future collaborations.

According to its founders, one of the goals of The Seabin Project is “to create a world in which the ‘Seabin’ is no longer needed and to have an ocean free of pollution for future generations.” To achieve this, it is essential to raise awareness in society through education, information, and prevention, whether through school talks or other actions that help us take part.

In this way, Reusa Mallorca will collaborate with The Seabin Project in upcoming actions such as the plastic collection on September 29th, where we will provide the necessary material resources for collecting plastics and waste from our beaches (boats, trash bags, volunteers...) and involve our collaborators in the effort.

We invite everyone to collaborate for the benefit of the planet.