Sweden tackles microplastics problem
Sweden wants to reduce the environmental spreading of microplastics, the small particles of plastic that can be found in skin care and hygiene products, as well as in clothes, and which often wind up in the sea.
To tackle this problem, they have tasked the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency with surveying how big the problem is and coming back with recommendations on how to reduce it.
Environment Minister Åsa Romson tells Swedish Radio News:
“We as humans must not feed wild creatures with plastic.Today we use a lot of plastic in our society, which sooner or later winds up in the sea and breaks down into microplastics. Researchers warn us that this is not healthy – not for animals living in the sea, and in the long run, it can also threaten people’s health.”
Related stories from around the North:
Canada: Plastic microbeads- a toxic substance in waterways-from the Great Lakes to the Arctic, Radio Canada International
Finland: Microplastics – the latest threat to the Baltic, Yle News
Greenland: Study finds increase in litter on Arctic seafloor, Blog by Mia Bennett
Norway: Norway is polluting Murmansk says Russian official, Barents Observer
Russia: Submariners feed polar bears with garbage, Barents Observer
Sweden: Sweden tackles plastic bag problem, Radio Sweden
United States: Arctic sea ice littered with tiny bits of ‘microplastic’ pollution, Alaska Dispatch News
