Why Fishermen Fish Plastic
No one can achieve great things alone. Not even us. That's why we're joining forces with real movers and shakers, such as the BioDesign Foundation, to rid our planet of plastic waste. But this story is also about your toothbrush and an Italian fisherman.
Fisherman fishes plastic
The fisherman's name is Gianni Collelli. He is one of the fishermen off the coast of Apulia. What happens to many of his colleagues also happens to him: Gianni is finding fewer and fewer fish but more and more plastic in the net. He used to remove the plastic painstakingly from the net and throw it back into the sea with the bycatch. But he and his colleagues quickly realised that they would have the same waste in their nets again next time.
The Mediterranean is one of the most polluted seas in the world: 7% of global microplastics can be found here.
Although many people are aware of the negative consequences of plastic, the boom in plastic production continues unabated. When Gianni started collecting the plastic, the police arrived. At the time, it was illegal to bring waste ashore in Italy. The fishermen were fined for illegally transporting waste. Italian fishermen have only been allowed to collect waste from the sea since 2019. However, this poses a new problem for Gianni.
Where to take the plastic?
Fishermen like Gianni are often left alone with the rubbish they collect. There is simply too much of it. The plastic from the sea overwhelms the communities along the coasts, which can barely cope with the plastic waste on land.
Geisternetze machen zwischen 30 und 50 Prozent des Meeresplastiks aus. Sie stellen für viele Tierarten eine Bedrohung dar.
Our partner, the BioDesign Foundationhas recognised this problem. The foundation relieves fishermen of their troublesome burden: fishing waste. As part of the "Vox Maris" project, the foundation sets up collection containers near harbours. To great success: every year, for example, in Chioggia around 100,000 kg of nets and other material are collected. This makes the fishermen protectors of the sea on which they depend.
What to do with the plastic?
This is where we at enespa come in. We take the plastic from the sea for the foundation. It is not dumped or incinerated, but returned to the cycle. We produce the original product, oil, from mixed plastic waste. This closes the plastic cycle: Your new toothbrush is made from an old ghost net that would have caused many animals to die an agonising death if it had remained in the sea.
Gianni Collelli looks to the future. The Collellis have been fishermen for generations. Perhaps his children will also go out to sea. Gianni would like that. That's why he fishes plastic out of the sea today. He does it for his children. And for all of us.
Strong together
© enespa 2024
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The road to a circular economy for plastics is a long one. However, we are not travelling this path alone, but together with you. Celebrate with us when we come one step closer to our goal.
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The road to a circular economy for plastics is a long one. However, we are not travelling this path alone, but together with you. Celebrate with us when we come one step closer to our goal.