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Research 2018

 

How to overcome the waste problem? Insights from a daily life study into pro-environmental behaviour in the city

Plastic is a serious global environmental problem. It is estimated that yearly eight million tons of plastic end up in the ocean, where it has a large negative environmental, social and economic impact. Urban areas produce the largest amount of waste (including plastics), which - due to mismanagement - ends up in our oceans. This study assesses the daily pro-environmental behaviour of people in urban areas. The research has a special focus on plastics and will be conducted in two cities: Maastricht (The Netherlands) and Semarang (Indonesia). Indonesia ranks second on the global list of waste mismanagement. In both cities a relatively clean as well as a relatively polluted area will be investigated.

Insight in context and behaviour

The researchers will monitor the pro-environmental behaviour in people’s daily life through the Experience Sampling Method. For seven days, and at random times, participants receive a notification on their phones that asks them to fill out a short survey, with questions on their current location and context, thoughts and feelings, and their environmental behaviour- in this case the use and post-use behaviour with respect to plastics. The research aims to assess contextual, personal and social factors relating to plastic pro-environmental behaviour. The app that will be developed to collect the information can also be used for other projects and partnerships, such as UN Environment and the Global Partnership on Marine Litter.

How to solve the plastic waste problem?

People’s values and social attitudes are known to have an important effect on waste behaviour and the acceptance of environmental measurements and policies. By gaining more insight into how people behave in specific situations in their daily lives, a more direct approach can be taken to influence these situations, and therefore the waste behaviour of urban citizens.

Interview with Professor Ad Ragas as published in Dutch online publication

September 2018 Radar Limburg interviewed Professor Ad Ragas. The translated interview is available.

You don't have to be a scientist to understand that all the plastic floating around in the sea or being deposited on the bottom of the oceans, will eventually have an effect on aquatic life. The only problem is, says Professor Ad Ragas (Eindhoven, 1964), that we don't exactly know what effect it will have. Ragas supervises the Plastic Research Group at the Science department of the Open Universiteit (OU). Scientists and students do research on where micro plastics originate, where they go and what risks they pose to humans and animals. This is a complex issue because it is difficult to distinguish between the many different types of micro plastics. 'It takes years to get a grip on them, for example because it can take hundreds of years before plastics are completely dissolved. In any case, we try to map out the entire process.'

This analysis is now being done in collaboration with the Soegijapranata University of Semarang in Indonesia. Samples of fish and shellfish are collected to be examined for micro plastics. The local population will also be scrutinized to establish how much fish and shellfish is consumed. Starting from that it is possible to estimate how many micro plastics are digested. Ragas: 'Research shows that micro plastics are not excreted from animals, but they do not die from them. French research shows that oysters do grow slower as a result of all those micro plastics in the water.'

Ragas points out that the effects are global: if you throw plastic waste into the Meuse, the consequences will not be limited to the Hollands Diep.

Floating cotton swabs

Evidence has yet to be provided that plastics in rivers and oceans are harmful. Yet, according to Ragas, history teaches us that if something is found somewhere which does not belong there, it will irrevocably lead to changes in the (eco)system. 'We cannot show the consequences of, for example, cotton swabs (cotton buds or Q-Tips) floating in the seas all over the world. Simply because these things will not be dissolved after a hundred years, and we have only been working on research for fifteen years at most.'

One of his students, Pieter Jan Kole, got the bright idea to do research on an invisible flow of micro plastics that we all help to disperse into the environment: wear and tear particles of car tires. The findings are remarkable. Ragas: 'If we were to make new tires out of this wear and tear alone, we would end up annually - in the Netherlands alone - with a tower of thirty kilometers high. That stuff is now washed into the ground and into the rivers by rainwater runoff. On a worldwide scale we are talking about three mega oil tankers full of wear and tear waste ending up in the sea. 'The difficult thing is that we don't have any exact measured data, so we can't distinguish the plastic particles of a cola bottle, or those of a rubber band in the sea.' In Nijmegen, where he also works at the Radboud University, he is currently doing research in the sewers to learn how to tell the difference. Is rubber plastic, by the way? 'We think so when it comes to car tires, half are made out of natural rubber, the other half of synthetic rubber which we label 'plastic'. 'By the way, there is another stream of micro plastics that we all help spreading. It originates in our clothing, which often and increasingly is produced using plastic. Take fleece jerseys, for example. Fibers are being released in the washing machine. We are currently working on washing machines with effective filters.'

Environment versus critics

The question can be put whether we should do something about that stream of plastic, if it is not certain whether and how harmful it is. Ragas: 'Environmentalists are constantly fighting critics who want to see evidence first before they take action. That does not mean that nothing needs to happen if you have no evidence. We saw it with smoking or radiation: everyone felt it was bad for you but the proof had yet to be provided. We have to revert the issue: do not tolerate plastic in the sea unless you can show and make it plausible that it is not dangerous. Now it is some sort of anarchy out there: people and companies can do whatever they want in the oceans, as long as we are not sure it's turning out badly.'

Ragas believes that business and politics should not wait for science. 'As a scientist, I can only decide on facts. To claim something when there is no evidence goes against everything I believe in as a scientist. But everyone knows that plastic is everywhere, so everyone has to be convinced that something has to happen.'

What to do, a ban on plastic? According to Ragas, that is not the solution. 'To some extent, plastic waste can be collected by a refuse collection structure. In this respect, we are doing much better in Europe than countries such as China or Indonesia. The solution lies partly in technological innovation. I would not be surprised if public authorities like Rijkswaterstaat at some point comes up with gutters along the road that can collect the rainwater runoff with the tire wear and then filter it.' The tire industry has also contacted the Plastic Research Group. 'They like to think along, they don't make tires to bring micro plastics into the environment'.

Dead water

Ragas is skeptical when it comes to biodegradable plastic. 'Then you run the risk that people will dispose of it everywhere. Biodegradable does not mean that it is biodegradable under all conditions. I guarantee that a cola bottle made of biodegradable plastic at a depth of 2,000 meters on the seabed will not break down. And if it does break down, on a compost pile for example, the question remains: into what does it break down? Breaking down into even smaller particles of plastic, is still not what you want. What's more: this decomposition is done by microorganisms that will thrive as a result. They use oxygen, which in the long run results in dead water. We have to think very carefully about these effects. The essence of environmental science is: if you change something in one place, it has consequences somewhere else.'

In the short term the professor of Environmental Science has a few viable solutions for the problems which occur when overcoming our dependency on plastic. Paper is an alternative. 'To do this, you need more sustainable production forests, but that is soluble. Awareness is also important: less plastic should be produced and used in the household. Better not buy four plastic trays of salad at a supermarket like Albert Heijn. And if you do use plastic, make sure it is disposed of properly so it does not end up in the environment.' Ragas is also an advocate of introducing deposits on plastic and cans. 'The packaging industry has taken responsibility for a large part of the waste, but still some people simply throw away their litter. The system is not conclusive, so you have to come up with something else. If deposit charges were introduced, people would collect plastic and keep the neighbourhood clean.'

Source: https://www.radarlimburg.nl/themas/plastic/ *

* This website is no longer available.

International Workshop on 24 and 25 August 2018

SEMARANG - The new Doctoral Program in Environmental Science of the Soegijapranata Catholic University (UNIKA) held an International Workshop on 24 and 25 August 2018 that was led by two environmental experts from the Open University of the Netherlands, namely Dr. Frank Van Belleghem and Dr Ansje Löhr. The workshop was held for PhD students and lecturers of the Doctoral Program.
The two speakers shared stories about dealing with plastic waste. Frank shared his knowledge on his research related to the environment and especially related to plastic pollution. 'Within our collaboration with the Soegijapranata Catholic University, one of our main topics is plastic pollution'. 'The impact of plastic pollution is huge. We therefore also want to see which stakeholders are involved in order to find effective solutions to overcome the problem,' Frank explained. The team tries to explore the effects of microplastics on human health, especially related to plastic waste in the coastal urban area. During the workshop, he also shared methods used to prevent or reduce plastic waste.
Dr. Ansje Lohr mentioned that she was happy to come again to UNIKA to share her knowledge with the new PhD students. 'The last six years, we have collaborated with UNIKA to conduct research on waste management and plastic pollution, one of the world's largest environmental problems,' Ansje said.
Published at www.suaramerdeka.com

Article National Geographic

In a recently published Dutch article Toe naar minder plastic environmental scientist Jikke van Wijnen discusses her upcoming publication about the transport of microplastics from rivers to oceans.

Spring 2018 activities covered in the media

Videos

Marine litter is a global problem that affects every citizen in our world. Indonesia is a show-case of how marine litter has become a symptom of a highly disposable society. Our scientists are working with their partners to tackle Marine Litter. And our PhD student Inneke Hantoro in Semarang is doing important research on the topic. Get acquainted with the work of Inneke Hantoro and watch the BBC video. In case you are interested in some work of our Marine Litter partners watch this short BBC video.

BBC news

April 2018 David Shukman, science editor BBC News, visited Indonesia with some of our staff members. His articles on Marine Litter were published on the BBC website and covered in social media. We selected these two articles for his opinion about the problems in Indonesia.
Giant plastic 'berg blocks Indonesian river
A crisis of plastic waste in Indonesia has become so acute that the army has been called in to help. Rivers and canals are clogged with dense masses of bottles, bags and other plastic packaging. This article includes a statement of our prof. Ad Ragas.
Indonesian study into health risks of microplastics
Indonesian scientists have launched the largest ever study into whether tiny plastic particles can affect human health. They are investigating the presence of plastic in seafood while also tracking the diets of 2,000 people. There is no evidence yet that ingesting small pieces of plastic is harmful but potential impacts cannot be ruled out. Plastic pollution has become so severe in Indonesia that the army has been called in to help.

Ad Ragas in BBC News: Indonesian Government sees plastic problem now as a really big problem

19th April BBC News mentioned that the crisis of plastic waste in Indonesia has become so acute that the army has been called in to help. The author stated that prof. Ad Ragas, with long experience of Indonesia's plastic problem, told him he has detected an important shift in the authorities.

Two years ago, when prof. Ad Ragas organised a workshop on plastic pollution in Bandung, 'government officials didn't seem to care about it, they didn't see it as a really big problem'. By contrast, at another workshop held last month, 'it's changed dramatically'.

Social media, rapidly conveying images of choked waterways, had made a difference to people, prof Ad Ragas said. 'They immediately see that 'this is what my river look likes now and I'm doing that because I'm throwing all this plastic away' so they get feedback much quicker than they used to.'

Politico article devotes attention to research staff Science

On 5 April 2018, the renowned magazine Politico Europe devoted an article to the consequences of environmental pollution caused by tyre wear. Pieter Jan Kole points out the fact that this waste mainly ends up in soil and shallow waters and not only in the sea. Kole carried out research on tyre wear at the Science department at the Open University.