Expedition to clean up uninhabited island littered with plastic waste

Packaging compliance scheme Valpak, which was recently acquired by outsourced recycling services company Reconomy, is to join world-renowned scientists in a unique expedition to clean up 10 tonnes of plastic and assess the impact of litter on a Pacific island boasting one of the highest densities of plastic rubbish on the planet.

Henderson Island, which is part of the Pitcairn group, is a UNESCO World Heritage site located between Peru and New Zealand. Although it is one of the most remote places on Earth – 3,000 miles from the nearest major land mass –  up to 13,500 pieces of plastic litter wash up each day.

James Beard, Recycling Services Manager at Valpak, said: “Henderson Island plays a unique role in showing the scale of the marine litter problem. Despite its isolation, it is estimated to contain 38 million pieces of plastic litter which have been swept into the South Pacific Gyre.”

Beard will be part of the 13-person team which departs in June, spending four weeks in the Pitcairn Islands and culminating in the beach clean up. The aim of the expedition is to clear plastic from the beaches, monitor the impact of litter on local wildlife, and provide scientific data on the rate of plastic accumulation.

International experts Dr Jennifer Lavers and Dr Alex Bond will be leading the science team, looking at the impact on sea birds that eat the plastic, to hermit crabs that turn it into homes. Beard added: “It goes far beyond cleaning the beach, everything will be logged. We will be using bar code scanners to try to identify the source of the plastic pollution and Mandy Barker, the artist who is joining us, plans to photograph everything which is collected. We are also working to transform the waste plastic locally into a useful product.”

The island is home to 10 endemic flowering plants and four endemic bird species. Turtles visit the beaches to lay eggs, and the remote coral atoll has become an internationally important breeding site for many species of sea birds.

The expedition has been made possible by a range of partners, but especially: global research and public policy organisation the Pew Charitable Trusts; the Pitcairn Island Government; and the UK’s Blue Belt Programme, which supports delivery of the UK government’s commitment to provide long-term protection to over four million square kilometres of marine environment across the UK Overseas Territories.

Beard concluded: “Plastic has become a cornerstone of our society because it is so versatile. However, it is also viewed as a cheap commodity, when it should be treated as something that is unique. Stopping plastic from entering the oceans is key, because once it starts breaking down into microplastics, cleaning it becomes much, much more difficult.

“The scale of the problem in such a remote location as Henderson Island helps to demonstrate that plastic litter is a global challenge. It is true to say that only a fraction of the plastics in the world’s oceans originate from the UK, we still need to consider our responsibility. Designing plastic for recycling is the first step. We expect the litter on Henderson to have returned within six years; only a sea change in the way people use plastics will prevent this from happening.”

Editor’s notes:

• The team consists of:
  • Robin Shackell, Deputy Governor of Pitcairn
  • Dr Jennifer Lavers, University of Tasmania
  • Dr Alex Bond, Natural History Museum UK
  • Simeon Archer-Rand, CEFAS
  • Brett Howell, Howell Conservation Fund
  • Johnny Briggs, Pew Trusts
  • James Beard, Valpak
  • Mandy Barker, National Geographic Society Grant for Research & Exploration 2018
  • Andrea Vance, Stuff
  • Iain McGregor, Stuff
  • Jon Slayer, Force Blue
  • Luke Hosty, Googsi Creative / Force Blue
  • Jay Warren, Member of the Pitcairn Island Community

• Expedition partners: Pitcairn Island Government, The Pew Charitable Trusts, Valpak, Toughsheet Environmental, Architectural & Community Planning Inc, The Zoological Society of London, Blue Belt Programme (UK Government), Schwab Charitable, Pitcairn Island Council, Commonwealth Clean Oceans Alliance, Force Blue, Howell Conservation Fund,

• Valpak is the largest environmental compliance scheme in the UK. It works with major names, such as J Sainsbury’s, ASOS, and Miele, and manages compliance for more than 4,000 businesses. It is a data partner for the UK’s voluntary plastic Pact agreement. In 2017, it celebrated its 20^th

• In 2018, Valpak was purchased by Reconomy. Reconomy is the UK’s market-leading provider of outsourced recycling and resource management services. It manages approximately 3 million tonnes of waste annually, and works with thousands of UK businesses – from SMEs through to large blue-chip companies – helping them to manage their waste in a responsible, sustainable and cost-effective way. Reconomy principally operates across four key sectors: commercial construction, housebuilding, infrastructure and business & industry.

• Valpak services include:
  • compliance under Packaging, WEEE, and Battery Directives;
  • data management services;
  • international compliance;
  • recycling services (total waste management options and solutions for niche materials);
  • consultancy; and,
  • accreditation under environmental schemes, such as Zero Waste to Landfill.

• In 2016, following a request from a major retailer, Valpak launched its Data Management Portal. The portal is a bespoke product which allows customers to scrutinise their supply chains. It can be used to monitor areas such as sustainability in packaging, or to ensure that CSR goals such as the Modern Day Slavery Act are met.

For more information, contact:

Carolyn Cross

Carolyn Cross Communications

carolyn@carolyncross.co.uk

01453 297457

07834852381