Technology, Our Savior?

To tie up the series on marine plastic pollution, solutions are, of course, an important thing to discuss. There are three main ways in tackling plastic pollution: reducing plastic consumption on various scales, improving the management of plastic waste to prevent more plastic pollution in the oceans, and lastly, reducing existing plastic waste in the oceans through cleanup strategies. With the rapid advancement of technology, strategies implemented are also increasingly centered around innovative technologies alongside other policies.

An article by Schmaltz et al. (2020), which is accessible below, has offered insights into the role of technology in our fight against marine plastic pollution. Through a review of online literature, Schmaltz et al. compiled a list of technologies aimed at tackling marine plastic pollution in what is termed as the “Inventory”. These technologies form two categories, preventive and cleanup technologies. It was found that more technologies were focused on cleaning up marine plastic pollution, and a majority were targeted at macroplastics rather than microplastics.

Given that a significant amount of marine plastic waste is derived from land, more preventive technologies are required on a larger scale to better manage plastic waste on land, preventing more from entering the oceans. Otherwise, even with cleanup technologies, we will always be playing “catch-up”, cleaning up the mess that we continually create. While tackling macroplastics is important, microplastics are far harder to track and more difficult to manage, whether in terms of waste management or cleanup. As macroplastics degrade, they eventually become microplastic fragments. Thus there is a need to develop more technologies targeted at microplastics, whether at the prevention or cleanup stage.

While technology can ameliorate marine plastic pollution, Schmaltz et al. (2020) highlighted that it cannot work in silos. Rather, there is a need for collaboration across all sectors, whether it be individuals, corporates, NGOs, or governments. The use of technology should also be assessed and carried out in specific areas with a high concentration of marine plastic pollution for greater efficiency. More financial aid should be provided to lower-income countries to ensure they have the resources to tackle marine plastic pollution. Considering that existing technologies tend to target only certain stages of the plastic life-cycle as well as certain sources of plastic pollution, it is important to also consider how to further develop these technologies alongside other policies, to target even the design stage or otherwise, allowing for a more circular economy.