International Coastal Cleanup Day 2020 auf Norderney
Plastic waste and microplastics are probably the most discussed environmental topics at the moment besides global warming. On September 19, 2020, the staff of our Institute for Antifouling and Biocorrosion on Norderney participated again in the International Ocean Cleanup Day.
The campaign was carried out together with the local BUND district group and the seventh-grade students from Norderney, who were also introduced to the habitat and waste problem. The Norderney public swimming pool and the technical services supported the action with man and machine. Fishing nets made of plastic accounted for the largest share of the stranded garbage. However, blankets and clothing from 342 containers of MS ZOE, lost at the beginning of 2019, were also found. In addition, numerous packages and containers, some from faraway countries, paint rollers, car spoilers, toilet covers and brushes, but also a whale rib and a message in a bottle were found. For more than 30 years, the US environmental organization Ocean Conservancy has been calling for the largest voluntary marine protection campaign - the International Coastal Cleanup Day
(https://oceanconservancy.org/trash-free-seas/international-coastal-cleanup/).