Marine Litter█What is marine litter?

By United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) definition：Marine litter is any persistent, manufactured or processed solid material discarded, disposed of or abandoned in the marine and coastal environment.Marine litter consists of items that have been made or used by people and deliberately discarded into the sea or rivers or on beaches; brought indirectly to the sea with rivers, sewage, storm water or winds; or accidentally lost, including material lost at sea in bad weather.

█Sources of Marine LitterBecause marine litter comes from sea-based and land-based sources, reduction and prevention measures must be implemented across a wide range geographic locations and societal sectors. Additionally, marine litter may originate from a variety of sources; from waste from landfills on land to galley waste from commercial shipping. However, the main sources can be grouped as follows:

1.The main sea/ocean-based sources of marine litter：a.Merchant shipping, ferries and cruise linersb.Fishing vesselsc.Military fleets and research vesselsd.Pleasure crafte.Offshore oil and gas platformsf.Fish farming installations

2.The main land-based sources of marine litter：a.Municipal landfills (waste dumps) located on the coast or inlandb.Riverine transport of waste from landfills or other sources along rivers and other

inland waterways (canals)c.Discharge of untreated municipal sewage, including storm water (including occasional

overflows)d.Industrial facilities: Solid waste from landfills, and untreated waste watere.Tourism (recreational visitors to the coast; beach-goers)

█Problem of Marine LitterMarine litter originates from many sources and causes a wide spectrum of environmental, economic, safety, health and cultural impacts. The very slow rate of degradation of most marine litter items, mainly plastics, together with the continuously growing quantity of the litter and debris disposed, is leading to a gradual increase in marine litter found at sea and on the shores.Marine litter currently poses a growing threat to the marine and coastal environment. Most marine litter consists of material that degrades slowly, if at all, so a continuous input of large quantities of these items results in a gradual build-up in the marine and coastal environment. This negative trend has

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been confirmed by a number of studies, clearly indicating that the situation with regard to marine litter is continuously getting worse. Littering practices from the shipping sector, as well as lack of land-based infrastructure to receive litter, combined with a lack of awareness among main stakeholders and the general public, are other major reasons that the marine litter problem appears to increase worldwide.

█Actions and expend issueA wide range of marine litter-related instruments already exist and actions are being taken at the global and regional levels. Deficiencies in the implementation and enforcement of existing international, regional, national regulations and standards that could improve the situation, combined with a lack of awareness among main stakeholders and the general public, are other major reasons why the marine litter problem not only remains, but continues to increase worldwide. Furthermore, marine litter is part of the broader problem of waste management, which is becoming a major public health and environmental concern in many countries.

█Flyer

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