The Government has pledged £200,000 to the University of Plymouth to research how sources of microplastics enter the UK's oceans.
Announced last week by the Environment Minister, Thérèse Coffey, the new project will provide £200,000 for scientists at the University of Plymouth to explore how tiny plastic particles from tyres, synthetic materials like polyester, fishing equipment – such as nets, ropes and lines – and other manmade materials enter our waterways and oceans, and the impact they are having on marine life.
It follows the Government’s ban on microbeads, which is one of the most comprehensive and toughest in the world.
The research from the University of Plymouth will be used to improve our scientific understanding of how microplastics from other sources enter the oceans – whether through fibres released into waste water during a washing cycle, or car tyre friction on roads creating a dust of particles that make their way into the seas through sewers.
The project is expected to last 11 months, and will build on current research already underway. Scientist’s presently estimate that tyres contribute 270,000 tonnes of plastics per year while a single wash load of acrylic clothing could release over 700,000 microfibres into the ocean.
Pollution in our oceans is one of the greatest threats to our environment, and while the UK is already leading the way, we can always go further. This new funding is an important step in understanding the processes that lead to microfibers and plastics entering our oceans and will hopefully enable us to take action to reduce the damage being done.
Environment Minister Thérèse Coffey said "robust scientific evidence should support our policy proposals, and through this exciting project we will build on work underway to better understand how microplastics end up in marine environment and what we can do to tackle this in the future. The project is being led by Professor Richard Thompson OBE, who oversaw Defra’s first research project on microplastics and their impact on the marine environment, which led to the UK’s pioneering ban on microbeads in rinse-off cosmetics and personal care products coming into force this year. The International Marine Litter Research Unit at the University of Plymouth is at the global forefront of research into the causes and effects of marine litter and recently conducted research into the effectiveness of fibre-trapping bags in washing machines."
Professor Richard Thompson OBE, Head of the International Marine Litter Research Unit, said "the types of microplastics entering the marine environment are incredibly diverse, but recent estimates in Norway and Sweden have suggested that particles of tyre and debris from the road surface could be a substantial source. With very limited real data available to confirm the impact from these sources, there is a genuine and pressing need to establish the true scale of this issue. By combining this with an assessment of the quantities of microplastic from synthetic textiles, we can develop a more complete picture on the relative importance of various sources. We will be able to use our findings to work with the Government, scientists and industry to try to prevent these particles entering the marine environment in the future."