Plastic water widgets are invading the coastlines and riverbanks of Europe. But where do they come from?
Surfrider’s Chapter 64 is following this widget dossier very closely! Following in the footsteps of our Basque office, the branches in Corsica and Paris, with sightings in Vendée (Western France), Galicia, Santander, Bilbao, Portugal and the riverbanks of the Seine are also on the case.
Worried by this massive invasion, two canal boat dwellers have followed the river to the source of the pollution: a water treatment plant in Evry (near Paris) where tons of plastic water widgets are floating a few meters away from the Seine.
However, pollution doesn’t only originate from these plastic widgets and other causes need to be pointed out. Our teams from the Basque country and Corsica keep working on this issue in order to identify all pollutants involved.
These plastic widgets are purportedly casings for micro-organisms used to purify waste water. They are apparently used by water sewage treatment plants, the fish farming industry, merchant navy ships and the agri-food industry.
However, and here lies the rub, the manufacturers and distributors of these widgets have nothing planned for recycling the water widgets after their use. Therefore, everyone is left to their own devices as to disposal. Certain waste stations and industries have come up with just leaving the water widgets in the water that has just been treated!
A water treatment plant that ends up polluting the water with macro-waste? It’s high time to recognise macro-waste for the real pollution that it is: Sign the petition
If you have a story to share regarding plastic water widgets, please get in touch with Surfrider’s Chapter 64.
