In a landmark collaborative effort, citizen scientists have joined forces with SkyTruth to expose the dangerous worldwide epicenters of plastic pollution. Researchers from the University of Portsmouth are at the helm of an exhilarating new venture. This campaign supports the United Nations Environment Assembly’s 2022 agreement to develop a legally binding treaty that aims to stop plastic pollution. This community-based collaborative research effort highlights the urgency to centralize an ongoing crisis impacting communities nationwide in ways unique to each region.
The Big Microplastic Survey attracted thousands of volunteers around the globe, demonstrating citizen science’s ability to rapidly gather essential data. That effort had considerable headwinds. Fewer than one in five registrants downloaded a data set, and worries about maintaining volunteers’ interest in the long haul intensified.
Understanding the Global Crisis
Plastic pollution is perhaps one of the most serious and pervasive environmental blights affecting the entire planet. Dr David Jones, the study’s lead author from the University of Portsmouth, explained the varying issues that areas across the country face. He stressed that these impediments differ widely by place.
Overall, our findings emphasize the fact that the plastic pollution problem is not just a local concern. It is now truly a global crisis. Areas have specific issues they’re facing,” explained Dr. Jones. With several thousand volunteers already involved, the Big Microplastic Survey has shown how the power of citizen science can help collect data on a scale that we would otherwise be unable to achieve.
The survey’s results paint a dramatic picture of the shifting plastic types commonly found in each country. For example, expanded polystyrene has been detected most widely in Thailand, Indonesia, and Portugal 7. Conversely, secondary plastics were frequently mentioned in the cases of Kenya and Honduras.
Notable Findings from the Research
The study focused attention on the troubling extent of plastic pollution in various countries around the world. Cut to today, where the Netherlands positions itself at the forefront of the world in plastic pollution. Their levels are an incomprehensible 14 times higher than those in the second most impacted country. This spike is due in large part to a shipping container calamity that has recently befallen the region.
Additionally, bio-beads, often used in wastewater treatment processes, seemed disproportionately popular in the Netherlands and Honduras. Britain came third in total bio-bead concentrations, counting average numbers per sample.
Dr. Michelle Hale, Head of the School of the Environment and Life Sciences at the University of Portsmouth, called citizen science “absolutely crucial.” Most notably, it considerably expands our environmental monitoring work.
Yet Dr. Hale noted that there are limitations to volunteer-collected data. She underscored that citizen science has the power to fill critical gaps, particularly where there are limited resources for environmental monitoring. Beyond that, it fosters greater community engagement—a crucial first step in addressing plastic pollution at its source.
The Role of Citizen Science
The Big Microplastic Survey went on to receive more than 1,000 registrations from people in 66 countries. Importantly, Britain, the United States, and Australia all played disproportionately large roles in this worldwide endeavor. This wide-ranging participation is a testament to the world’s readiness to tackle the challenge of plastic pollution.
Of all the methods to collect valuable environmental data, citizen science offers an especially empowering solution. Weave remarkably addresses the twin challenges of engaging volunteers and limitations with data collection. Through engaging local communities, researchers can get a better sense of plastic pollution and develop strategies to address them. This participatory approach further promotes a sense of ownership and stewardship to decision-making among citizens.