![](../imagenes_titulos2/ciencia_industryplastic25.gif)
by Shivali Best
October 11,
2017
from
DailyMail Website
![](../imagenes_ciencia3/industryplastic25_01_small.jpg)
-
Scientists analyzed data on plastic from 79 sampling
sites along 57 rivers
-
Their results showed that 10 rivers account for the
majority of riverine plastic waste
-
Eight of these are in Asia, including the Yangtze
and Indus rivers
-
Targeting these rivers could halve the amount of
oceanic plastic waste from rivers, experts predict
Up to 95 per cent of river-borne plastic polluting the world's
oceans pours in from just ten rivers, according to new research.
The top 10 rivers - eight of which are in Asia - accounted for so
much plastic because of the mismanagement of waste.
About five trillion pounds is floating in the sea, and targeting the
major sources - such as the Yangtze and the Ganges - could almost
halve it, scientists claim.
![](../imagenes_ciencia3/industryplastic25_02.jpg)
Up to 95 per cent of river-borne plastic
polluting the world's oceans pours in from
just ten rivers, according to new research.
The top 10 rivers, including the River Niger (pictured)
accounted for so much plastic because
of the mismanagement of waste
THE 10
MOST POLLUTING RIVERS
-
Yangtze East
China Sea Asia
-
Indus Arabian
Sea Asia
-
Yellow River
Yellow Sea Asia
-
Hai He Yellow
Sea Asia
-
Nile
Mediterranean Africa
-
Ganges Bay of
Bengal Asia
-
Pearl River
South China Sea Asia
-
Amur Sea of
Okhotsk Asia
-
Niger Gulf of
Guinea Africa
-
Mekong South
China Sea Asia
Massive amounts of plastic bits that imperil aquatic life are
washing into the oceans and even the most pristine waters.
But how it all gets there from inland cities has not been fully
understood.
Now a study shows the top 10 rivers - eight of which are in Asia -
accounted for 88 to 95 per cent of the total global load
because of the mismanagement of waste.
The team calculated halving plastic pollution in these waterways
could potentially reduce the total contribution by all rivers by 45
per cent.
Dr
Christian Schmidt, a
hydrogeologist at Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research
(UFZ)
in Leipzig, Germany, said:
'A substantial
fraction of marine plastic debris originates from land-based
sources and rivers potentially act as a major transport pathway
for all sizes of plastic debris.'
-
Export of Plastic Debris by Rivers into
the Sea
-
Supporting Information
![](../imagenes_ciencia3/industryplastic25_03.jpg)
The top 10 rivers
-
eight of which are in Asia -
accounted for so much plastic
because
of the mismanagement of waste
His team analyzed data on debris from 79 sampling sites along 57
rivers - both microplastic particles measuring less than 5 mm and
macroplastic above this size.
They said
microplastics in particular can damage the health of
marine life but cleaning it all up would be impossible. However
stemming the tide could help reduce the potential harm.
Dr Schmidt said to do this, researchers need a better understanding
of how plastic makes its way into the oceans in the first place.
![](../imagenes_ciencia3/industryplastic25_04.jpg)
The study shows the top 10 rivers,
including
the River Indus (pictured)
accounted for 88 to 95 per cent of the total global load
because of the mismanagement of waste
THERE WILL BE
MORE PLASTIC THAN FISH IN THE SEA BY 2050
The
amount of plastic rubbish in the world's oceans will
outweigh fish by 2050 unless the world takes drastic
action to further recycle, a report released in 2016
revealed.
Researchers warned eight million tonnes of plastics
currently find their way into the ocean every year - the
equivalent of one truckload every minute.
At current rates, this will worsen to four truckloads
per minute in 2050 and outstrip native life to become
the largest mass inhabiting the oceans.
An overwhelming 95 per cent of plastic packaging - worth
£65 - £92billion - is lost to the economy after a single
use, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation report stated.
And available research estimates that there are more
than 150 million tonnes of plastics in the ocean today.
Rivers which flow from inland areas to the seas are major
transporters of plastic debris but the concentration patterns aren't
well known.
The findings could help fill in this knowledge gap.
Dr Schmidt pooled data from dozens of research articles and
calculated the amount in rivers was linked to the,
'mismanagement of
plastic waste in their watersheds.'
He said:
'The 10 top-ranked
rivers transport 88-95 per cent of the global load into the
sea.'
The study (Export of Plastic Debris by Rivers into
the Sea) follows a
recent report that pointed the finger at,
-
China
-
Indonesia
-
the Philippines
-
Thailand
-
Vietnam,
...for spewing out most
of the plastic waste that enters the seas.
The Yangtze has been
estimated in previous research to dump some 727 million pounds
of plastic into the sea each year.
The Ganges River in
India is responsible for even more - about 1.2 billion pounds.
A combination of the,
...rivers (233
million lbs per year) in China, as well as four Indonesian
rivers:
-
the Brantas (85
million lbs annually)
-
Solo (71 million
pounds per year)
-
Serayu (37
million lbs per year)
-
Progo (28 million
lbs per year), are all large contributors...
Previous research has
also suggested two-thirds of plastic comes from the 20 most
contaminated rivers.
But Dr Schmidt reckons
this can be narrowed down even further.
He said:
'The rivers with the
highest estimated plastic loads are characterized by high
population - for instance the Yangtze with over half a billion
people.'
'These rivers are also in countries with a high rate of
mismanaged plastic waste (MMPW) production per capita as a
result of a not fully implemented municipal waste management
including waste collection, dumping and recycling.'
![](../imagenes_ciencia3/industryplastic25_05.jpg)
Previous research has also suggested
two-thirds of plastic comes
from the 20 most contaminated rivers.
But Dr Schmidt reckons this can be
narrowed down even further.
(stock image)
OUR
SHOCKING PLASTIC ADDICTION
-
One
million plastic bottles are sold every minute
-
480
billion plastic bottles were sold in 2016
-
538
billion plastic bottles will be thrown away every
year by 2021
-
Fewer
than half of plastic bottles are recycled
-
Up to 13
million tonnes of plastic enter the sea every year
'The data shows large
rivers are particular efficient in transporting plastic debris.
Large rivers like the Yangtze transport a higher fraction of the
MMPW that is generated in their catchments than smaller rivers.
'These three factors lead to the estimated concentration of most
of the plastic load to large rivers with a large population
living in their catchment.
'Countries with high MMPW generation such as China or India
could greatly reduce the plastic pollution of rivers by
implementing proper waste management.
'In industrial countries, although they have a well developed
waste management infrastructure, one way for plastic waste
entering the environment is littering.'
![](../imagenes_ciencia3/industryplastic25_06.jpg)
His team analyzed data on debris
from 79
sampling sites along 57 rivers
- both
microplastic particles (pictured)
measuring less than 5 mm
and
macroplastic above this size.
Pollution costs more than £6 billion ($7.9 billion) in damage to
marine ecosystems and kills an estimated one million sea birds,
100,000 sea mammals and untold numbers of fish.
Dr Schmidt said:
'Pollution of the
marine environment with plastic debris is widely recognized and
is of increasing ecological concern because of the chemical
persistence of plastics and their mechanical fragmentation to
so-called microplastics which can be ingested by even small
organisms such as zooplankton.
'Beyond the long recognized occurrence of plastic debris in the
marine environment plastic debris has been more recently
detected in freshwater environments and can be found even in
pristine, remote locations.'
WHO DUMPS
THE MOST PLASTIC?
So much
plastic is dumped into the sea each year that it
would fill five carrier bags for every foot of
coastline on the planet, scientists have warned.
More than half of the plastic waste that flows into
the oceans comes from just five countries:
-
China
-
Indonesia
-
Philippines
-
Vietnam
-
Sri Lanka
The only
industrialized western country on the list of top 20
plastic polluters is the United States at No. 20.
The U.S. and Europe are not mismanaging their
collected waste, so the plastic trash coming from
those countries is due to litter, researchers said.
While China is responsible for 2.4 million tons of
plastic that makes its way into the ocean, nearly 28
percent of the world total, the United States
contributes just 77,000 tons, which is less than one
percent, according to the study published in the
journal Science.
He added:
'The high fraction of
a few river catchments contributing the vast majority of the
total load implies that potential mitigation measures would be
highly efficient when applied in the high-load rivers.
'Reducing plastic loads by 50 per cent in the 10 top-ranked
rivers would reduce the total river-based load to the sea by 45
per cent.
'Our analysis reveals that plastic loads of large rivers
disproportionately increase in relationship to the increase of
plastic debris available for transport.'
![](../imagenes_ciencia3/industryplastic25_07.jpg)
For video click above
image...
|