Sea and Japan Project Public Relations Office
~Investigate the actual situation of garbage using the pick-up box! ~ Approximately 70% of the collected garbage is plastic!
Implemented from August 2023 to March 2024
……
LOVE OUR BAY! Zero Marine Litter! Project (general incorporated association SAVE OUR BEAUTIFUL OCEAN) installed collection boxes dedicated to picking up trash at five surf shops in Chiba Prefecture from August last year to March this year. We have compiled the results of an investigation into the collected garbage. This development was carried out as part of the marine litter countermeasure project “Ocean and Japan Project – CHANGE FOR THE BLUE” promoted by the Nippon Foundation.
[Image 1: https://prtimes.jp/i/77920/2563/resize/d77920-2563-6cb3bde494b394995391-0.jpg&s3=77920-2563-2dd10aefec5dcba3a856a1e7113aaed6-673×506.jpg] Implementation overview
Period: August 2023 to March 2024
Location: 5 surf shops in Chiba Prefecture
Survey period: 3 times in November 2023, December 2023, and March 2024 Approximately 80% of the garbage is picked up garbage, and
approximately 20% is general garbage.
Most of the garbage collected in the “pickup box” this time seems to be garbage picked up around surf shops and on the coast, but looking at the contents and condition of the collected garbage, about 20% of the garbage was picked up. Rather, it looked like general garbage had been put in as is, and about 80% of the remaining garbage had sand attached to it and was slightly weathered, showing signs that it had been picked up.
This is the third year that the “pick-up box” has been implemented, but in the first year, at supermarkets and parks where it was installed, a large proportion of general garbage could be put in, and in some cases, most of it was general garbage, but at surf shops, The purpose of setting up the pick-up box and how to use it was well understood, and since the first year, there has been less general garbage, which was clearly shown in the numbers in this survey. Burnable garbage accounts for 90% of the total, and within that, plastic accounts for 70% of the total.
In a survey on garbage separation, pick-up boxes are prepared for four types of garbage: “burnable garbage”, “non-burnable garbage”, “plastic bottles”, and “bottle cans”. The percentage was 90%, 1% for non-burnable garbage, 6% for plastic bottles, and 3% for bottles and cans. Among the combustible garbage, there are many plastic pieces and vinyl garbage, and approximately 70% of the total garbage is plastic garbage. (PET bottles with sand on them are difficult to recycle, so they are treated as combustible plastic.)
This result also shows that the proportion of paper-based waste is small, perhaps because it dissolves in water and does not remain, but plastic that remains remains makes up the majority of the collected waste, and we are once again reminded of the problem of marine plastic waste. I decided to do it.
Future development of pick-up boxes
In light of the fact that this survey found that there was very little non-burnable garbage other than bottles and cans, and that the current width of 150 cm is a cause for concern when choosing a location, the future pick-up boxes will be By combining non-burnable garbage with bottles and cans in a collection box, and designing a pick-up box that separates combustible garbage, plastic bottles, and bottle
cans/non-burnable garbage, the width of the pickup box can be reduced. We are currently considering improvements that will reduce the length to around 120cm, making it easier to install in small stores and places with limited space.
Some people come looking for pick-up boxes!
This time, we conducted interviews with people in charge of each surf shop, and found that “After the rain, garbage flows from the river and there is a lot of garbage on the coast.” “There is still a lot of garbage from fishing gear.” There was also a report that the international school group that we visited “investigated the collection box and brought it to us”. I think that with continued development, we will see more cases like this, and more active use will occur.
-Organization overview-
Organization name: LOVE OUR BAY! Zero Marine Litter! Project (SAVE OUR BEAUTIFUL OCEAN General Incorporated Association)
URL: https://gomizero.loveourbay.jp/Activity details: Marine litter reduction activities and awareness thereof
[Image 2: https://prtimes.jp/i/77920/2563/resize/d77920-2563-46007d6332127c34352e-1.png&s3=77920-2563-9ae238333ed728fdbda848c9fa4010e9-632×260.png ]
CHANGE FOR THE BLUE
As part of the Nippon Foundation’s “Ocean and Japan Project,” the 2018 This is a project that has been underway since November. We will work with stakeholders from industry, government, academia, and the public to create a marine litter reduction model and disseminate it domestically and internationally.
https://uminohi.jp/umigomi/
[Image 3: https://prtimes.jp/i/77920/2563/resize/d77920-2563-a8f519835bcfb3e718f5-1.png&s3=77920-2563-f11501e096ec4262ca96394e986d8424-1600×458.png ]
Nippon Foundation “Ocean and Japan Project”
The sea supports Japanese people’s lives in various ways, sometimes giving them peace of mind, excitement, and inspiration. This is an all-Japan project that aims to encourage people across the country, including children, to view the ongoing environmental deterioration of the oceans as their own, and to expand the circle of action to preserve the oceans for future generations. is.
https://uminohi.jp/
More details about this release:
https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000002563.000077920.html