The ban on plastic bags is quickly approaching but one researcher says while it’s a great first step, she hopes the trend continues forward.
Jessica Melvin is a coordinator and researcher with Memorial University and is working on the Placentia Bay Ocean Debris Survey.
She says virtually all of the plastic they see out in Placentia Bay isn’t made by the residents who live there.
Once we actually get down really close and start looking for microplastics it would blow your mind the amount of tiny plastics we’re finding on beaches in areas where, in some cases, nobody lives.
Melvin says while plastic bags comprise a large portion of plastic they see regularly, it’s the packaging big companies use to wrap their products that accounts for nearly 150 million tons of garbage.
She goes on to explain how previous projects have looked into whether fish like cod, caplin and salmon are eating the plastic found in the oceans surrounding the province. She says the plastic is there, so they know the fish are eating it. That is especially concerning for Newfoundland where we depend so much on wild food.