Marine Litter Vital Graphics

RESPONSES

What countries are doing to combat litter hat countries are doing to co bat litter

Countries prohibiting or disincentivizing land-based materials causing marine litter Countries prohibiting or disincentivizing land-based materials causing marine litter

Manufacturing 1 National law Sub-national law Use at retail level 2 National law Sub-national law Manufacturing 1 National law Sub-national law Use at retail level 2 National law Sub-national law

1 Includes one or more of the following categories: nurdles or pre-production plastic, plastic bags and microbeads in personal care products 2 Includes one or more of the following categories: plastic bag laws; laws governing the thickness of plastic bags; bans on stirrers,utensils and cups; taxes or levies on plastic bags; bans on so-called "biodegradable" plastics; bans on polystyrene, mandating "re-usable" products such as beverage containers and shopping bags; cigarette bans on beaches 1 Includes one r more of the following categories: nurdles or pre-production plastic, plastic bags and microbeads in personal care products 2 In lude ne or more of the following categories: plastic bag laws; laws g verning the thicknes f plastic bags; b ns on stirrers,utensils a d cups; tax s or levies on plastic bags; bans on so- alled "biode radable" plastics; bans o polystyrene, mandating "r -usable" products such as beverage containers and shopping bags; cigarette bans on beaches

Source: UNEP Marine Litter Legislation: A Toolkit for Policymakers, document in preparation, 2016; The Independent, The Guardian, National Geographic press review Source: UNEP Marine Litter L gislation: A Toolkit for Policymakers, document in preparation, 2016; The Independent, The Guardian, National Geographic press review

litter is tackled closer to its source). Engaging volunteers in clean-up activities can help reduce costs (although the time of volunteers also has an economic value), contribute to citizen science and improve awareness. Fishing for litter can also be a useful final option, but can only address certain types of litter. This could be combined with economic incentives to encourage action, such as payments to fishermen for the litter they collect. The fact that marine debris and microplastics constitute a complex environmental challenge also poses an opportunity when it comes to tackling it. Before choosing an instrument or a package of instruments, it is crucial to assess whether it will work within a country’s legislative, institutional and cultural context. This assessment will help in determining the likelihood of implementation, who will be involved, what the costs will be, who they will fall to, the expected effectiveness and impacts over what timescale, the potential perverse incentives that may undermine effectiveness or efficiency, and the environmental, social and economic benefits and costs of action. The cost of action The costs of action will vary depending on where in the value chain and on what waste the measures are focused,

which sectors and products they target, and the location and scale of the marine litter being addressed. While there are still data gaps it is expected that the cost of action is significantly less than the cost of inaction. It is in the interests of many economic sectors to find strategies to reduce marine litter because this can help to reduce the cost to them. The benefits of action are not just about avoiding the problems arising from inaction, but also about new opportunities – for the economy and society. In some cases, significant value can be generated from recycling marine litter into new products or “upcycling” (UNEP, 2016c). The Kenyan-based Ocean Sole creates 220 different products from recovered flip-flops and sells up to 500,000 dollarsworth of products each year. Through the Net- Works programme, the world’s largest carpet tile producer, Interface, and its material partner Aquafil, reprocess discarded and abandoned fishing nets from the Philippines into carpet products which are used in buildings around the world. Through its Net+Positiva programme, Bureo turns collected fishing nets into skateboards that retail at 149 dollars and sunglasses that retail at 129 dollars. Over 3,000 skateboards have been sold to date. Items in the RAW for the Oceans fashion range by G-Star Raw and Bionic Yarn, which contain yarn made from PET bottles recovered from the oceans, retail for as much as 300 dollars.

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Marine Litter Vital Graphics