Indefinate
1 Year, or INDEFINITE?
(Nylon Rope - Rope can become entangled around the necks and beaks of curious animals, causing death as they grow larger and the noose tightens).
1 - 3 Years, or INDEFINITE?
Plastic Bag - A person uses a plastic bag for an average of 12 minutes before disposal. When a bag enters the sea suffocation or entanglement may occur but ingestion is the main issue. Sea turtles often mistake bags for their favourite food of jelly fish and squid when seen floating in the water column.
(Since this project was created research now estimates that a plastic bag takes between 10-15 years to degrade in the sea).
1 - 5 Years, or INDEFINITE?
(Clothing & Material - Swallowing marine litter mistaken for food can damage the digestive tract of marine animals and also result in the absorption of toxic pollutants. These toxins are then passed up the food chain to the fish that we consume).
10 - 20 Years, or INDEFINITE?
(Plastic Bag Seams - Almost half of all marine mammal species including seals, whales and porpoises have been found dead from suffocation and starvation after having ingested plastic bags. Between 290 - 300 plastic bags are used per person per year in the UK).
30 Years, or INDEFINITE?
(PVC - Corals are destroyed when discarded fishing equipment, such as overalls, gloves, damaged lobster pots and nets drag along the ocean floor.
Coral reefs provide home for lots of species, most of which are also affected).
30 - 40 Years, or INDEFINITE?
(Nylon - Tangled giant underwater balls of nylon rope, netting and other plastic debris, sometimes weighing up to one ton - vast moving landfills -
roll with the currents, scouring and destroying reefs like giant bulldozers).
400 Years, or INDEFINITE?
(Plastics - Mixed - Plastic never biodegrades, it merely breaks down into smaller fragments. These microplastic particles and fibres are found in filter-feeding barnicles, lugworms and amphipods which are in turn eaten by larger sea creatures including fish, and ultimately eaten by ourselves).
450 Years, or INDEFINITE?
(Plastic Bottle - 90% of marine rubbish found on coastlines worldwide is related to single-use plastics; bottles, tops, straws, food packaging and general packaging. 111 different species of seabirds are known to ingest plastics, many of which are bottles).
600 Years, or INDEFINITE?
(Monofilament & Macrofilament Fishing Line - Fishing line affects the mobility of aquatic animals, once entangled they struggle to eat, breathe and swim, all of which have fatal results. Discarded fishing nets cut loose by fishermen continue 'ghost fishing', indiscriminately sweeping up fish, seals, turtles and whales in their foul web).
INDEFINITE
(Polystyrene - the most significant and alarming offender to impact on marine life. When released into the environment it will never decompose or biodegrade to a non-recognisable form).