ZiNG Caribbean – May-June 2019

20 |ZiNGCARIBBEAN

NATURE

Plasticiskillingourplanet–notleastourbeautifulbirds.Butyoucanhelp...

LIME

WONDERFUL

WILDLIFE

THANKS

TO

EMMA

LEWIS

AND

LISA

SORENSON

(BIRDSCARIBBEAN).

LOVE

BIRDS?

VISIT

WWW.BIRDSCARIBBEAN.ORG.

OR

FOLLOW

US

ON

FACEBOOK

AND

TWITTER

(SEARCH ‘CARIBBEAN BIRDS’). LEARN MORE ABOUT PLASTICS POLLUTION AND WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP: OCEANCONSERVANCY.ORG/TRASH-FREE-SEAS

FOCUSON...

What can we do about plastic?
We know that all the plastic
ever manufactured since the
1950s is still with us, in one
form or another. Globally, only
around 9% of plastic is recycled.
According to the Ocean
Conservancy, which sponsors
International Coastal Cleanups
in the Caribbean and around the
world, 8 million metric tonnes
of plastic enter our seas
annually, adding to the

Pollution solution

http://www.liat.com | May - June 2019

marine life, including endangered

Caribbean turtles. And it is

affecting our birds. It is estimated

that 80% of seabirds and

waterbirds have ingested plastic.

For migratory birds, as

well as species of seabirds

and waterbirds that live in the

Caribbean year-round, plastic

debris presents terrible risks.

Plastic breaks down into tiny

fragments (microplastics), which

can be ingested and lead to

disease and suffering in birds, as

well as in smaller members of the

food chain that birds may eat.

Plastic can gradually kill

a bird, fi lling its stomach and

essentially starving it to death.

Plastic bags can choke and

smother birds and animals. In the

Caribbean, birds often become

tangled in plastic fi shing nets,

lines and other equipment,

causing serious injury or death.

During recent beach clean-

ups around the Caribbean,

non-biodegradable, indigestible

plastic has been by far the most

common type of trash to be

collected from our shorelines,

rivers and gullies by local

volunteers. Bottles are the

most common plastics that end

up in our waters and on our

beaches, as well as small items

such as bottle caps, single-

use plastic cutlery and straws

and toothbrushes. Electronics

(e-waste) of various types is

increasingly washing up on our

shoreline. Plastic shopping bags

are also a great danger to our

marine life, including birds.

BE THE SOLUTION

World Migratory Bird Day

(WMBD) is a celebration of the

150 million tonnes that is

already fl oating around.

Like other parts of the

world, the Caribbean is becoming

increasingly aware of plastic

pollution. Several islands have

already moved to ban various

forms of plastic as well as

Styrofoam, including Antigua &

Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St

Lucia and the French-speaking

islands. Others have plans in

place to reduce reliance on

single-use plastic in coming years.

And there are some private and

government-led plastic recycling

programmes in place. But much

more needs to be done.

KILLER TRASH

Plastic pollution ruins our

beautiful beaches and coastlines,

and blocks drains and gullies.

It affects our own health and

hampers economic growth. What

is more, it is harming all kinds of