Marine debris litters a Santa Monica Bay beach after a heavy rainstorm. Photo: Heal the Bay (click image to enlarge).

Marine debris can be deadly to marine life. Every year, over one million sea birds and 100,000 marine mammals and sea turtles die due to marine debris worldwide (click images to enlarge). Photos: California Coastal Commission

The approved resolution could be a catalyst for change in how California and the world deals with plastics and marine debris for generations to come.

February 8th, 2007 was an amazing day for California’s coast and beyond as the Ocean Protection Council approved a landmark resolution urging the state to take strong action to reduce the marine debris that litters our coast and ocean and threatens marine life. (L.A. Times article - 2/9/07)

Before a hearing room packed with environmental groups, students, and scientific experts on the topic of marine debris, the Council voted unanimously to pass a resolution—strengthened with Heal the Bay’s amendments—that would crack down on single-use plastic food containers, ban plastic packaging containing toxic chemicals, enforce laws against industrial polluters, and involve the entire Pacific coastline from Canada to Mexico in efforts to reduce marine debris.

A strengthened resolution approved

The five-member Council, which oversees California’s ocean and coastal resources and sets the state's overall ocean policy, was reviewing and considering the original marine debris reduction resolution prepared earlier this year by their staff (for more details about the Council, see “About the OPC ” sidebar on the left). The resolution suggested some positive actions to combat marine debris, but provided no true teeth for implementation.

Thus, Heal the Bay, together with a coalition of environmental groups representing over one million members, recommended the Council seriously strengthen the original resolution. Heal the Bay proposed 11 specific amendments, with quantifiable steps and definitive timelines.

Lieutenant Governor John Garamendi, a member of the Council, urged the adoption of all of Heal the Bay's recommendations, which was also supported by the two other voting council members, state Resources Secretary Mike Chrisman and California EPA Secretary Linda Adams.

With the adopted amendments, the approved final resolution directs State entities to develop plans with milestones and target dates to reduce marine debris from plastic food packaging and abandoned fishing gear. It also calls for a phased ban on a wide variety of toxins commonly used in plastics that end up as marine debris; an increase of the California Redemption Value (CRV) for all plastic; and tougher enforcement against litter and, in particular, enforcement against industrial dumping of plastic resin pellets known commonly as “nurdles”. In fact, Garamendi instructed the Council staff to fund "nurdle" police to prosecute plastic manufacturers that allow these plastic pellets to spill off their lots (for more details about the resolution's recommendations, see the “Resolution Summary” sidebar on the left and the full resolution document).

Landmark resolution demonstrates State’s environmental leadership

It is truly momentous that the Council moved forward with such strong recommendations for action against marine debris. Heal the Bay congratulates the Ocean Protection Council for its bipartisan approach in protecting the state’s greatest natural resource and providing leadership by example for the Western continental coast region. In particular, we commend Lieutenant Governor John Garamendi's leadership on this issue.

In addition, the passage of this landmark resolution on marine debris compliments Governor Schwarzenegger’s plan to fight against global warming, and once-again demonstrates his nationwide leadership on marine debris.

The next steps

Although the Council’s resolution is not regulation, it could be a catalyst for state and potentially nationwide change in how plastics and marine debris are managed. It will be exciting to see how this strong statement by the Ocean Protection Council is carried out on legislative and administrative fronts.