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Fishing for Plastic is becoming the latest holiday craze

Source: BrightVibes

Michiel went on holiday to Menorca. As he loves nature & snorkeling and can’t sit still, he started to fish for plastic

More and more plastic

Michiel’s the founder of BrightVibes and loves Menorca. 

"I’ve been to Menorca on holiday for 7 times. It’s an incredibly beautiful island with amazing beaches, crystal clear sea, great food, kind people, amazing sunsets and great climate. But I noticed more and more plastic in the sea. Rather than just being annoyed by it – and as I kind sit all day on my *ss anyway ;-), I bought a net and decided to clean up the sea and the beached I visited.

I hope to inspire many others to follow suit. Of course I know we cannot solve the plastic problem on our own, but we can all make a difference." said Michiel.  

Fishing for plastic; the latest holiday craze After Michiel caught the plastic, he took the net with him and emptied it at one of the many containers they have on the Spanish island. Fortunately, waste is collected separately in Spain and he could throw away all the plastic in the container for packaging. Source: Facebook BrightVibes

So much more to do, but we’re not powerless

Of course Michiel is aware that to tackle the plastic pollution problem, many actions need to be taken. As he says:

"Naturally there is so much that needs to be done. The plastic problem can be overwhelming. Now in order to get into action mode, I try to make the problem smaller. That’s why I focus on things that you and I can do in our daily lives, to help fight plastic waste. And simply leaving places behind cleaner than we found them, does make a difference. Not if I do it alone, but I know that there’s a fast growing group of people that also wants to do something. Cleaning up your environment is one thing. But there are many more things we can do. Most of the waste I found in the sea comes from single-use plastic products, like PET bottles, plastic bags, razors, plastic bags, q-tips, balloons, straws etc. The good news is that we easily quit (or at least drastically decrease) the consumption of these products and use sustainable alternatives, without having to give up on convenience."

Watch the video below with 9 bits of plastic you can quit today, or read the article.

Feeling powerless about plastic pollution? Here are 9 bits of plastic you can quit todaySource: Facebook BrightVibes

We all need to work together

If we as consumers change our behaviour, we can have a huge impact on the plastic problem. However, consumers cannot do it alone. Governments, especially the E.U., is coming up with more and more legislation, forcing companies (retailers, manufacturers etc.) to come up with sustainable alternatives and consumers to change their old habits. Take the ban on free plastic bags for example. This has had a tremendous positive impact on the number of plastic bags that end up in our seas. A positive development that should be followed by other countries.

Fortunately, some brands are already working hard to decrease plastic waste. Take Starbucks who recently announced they will stop offering plastic straws and where they offer you a discount of your drink if you bring your own cup.

And fortunately there are great initiatives like young Dutchman Boyan Slats’ The Ocean Cleanup. They are almost ready to start the world’s largest cleanup ever. Its advanced technologies are aimed to rid the world’s oceans of plastic. A full-scale deployment of our systems is estimated to clean up 50 % of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in 5 years.

And there are many more innovative solutions under development to help fight the influx of plastic into our oceans through rivers and canals, like the RecycledPark in Rotterdam or the Great Bubble Barrier

Make an Impact

9 bits of plastic you can quit today

We all hate to see how plastic waste is killing our planet and it’s easy to become dispirited, feeling there is little you can do about it. Well here are nine bits of plastic you can quit today.