Used fishing nets Regeneration through corporate collaboration 30 companies participate in reducing marine plastic waste

In order to reduce the amount of plastic waste in the sea that causes environmental pollution, efforts have begun to recycle used fishing nets, which have been partially recycled, into bags and other items through corporate collaboration.

This initiative was established last year with the aim of solving the problem of plastic waste in the sea, and is called "Alliance for the Blue", a general incorporated association in which about 30 companies involved in plastics from manufacturing to sales and recycling participate. The Nippon Foundation will start.

Fishing nets, together with ropes, account for 40% of the plastic waste washed ashore in Japan by weight, while some groups recycle only some of them because it is cheaper to reclaim them. It means that there are cases where it leaks into the sea.

In this initiative, a company in Hokkaido processes used fishing nets collected from nearby fishery cooperatives into high-quality "pellets" by a recycling company in Tokyo, and another company uses this as a material for cloth and buttons. make.

At an event held in Tokyo on the 20th, a bag made by an industrial union in Hyogo Prefecture was unveiled using these cloths and buttons, and attendees such as Minister of the Environment Koizumi confirmed the workmanship.

From next year onward, he wants to collect used fishing nets from all over Hokkaido and recycle 1,300 tons of fishing nets annually, which is more than half of the amount discarded in Hokkaido. I would like to recycle fishing nets to something other than textiles and aim to utilize them. "

"Ghost of fishing gear" also has a serious impact on the ecosystem

When the Ministry of the Environment investigated plastic waste washed ashore at 10 points nationwide in 2016, "fishing nets and ropes" accounted for 42% of the total, and when combined with "other fishing gear", it amounted to 45%.

Fishing nets that have flowed out into the sea are called "ghost gear," which means "ghosts of fishing gear," because they continue to float in the sea for a long period of time. There is a risk of dying.

The environmental NGO "WWF" = World Wildlife Fund says that 66% of all seven sea turtles and marine mammals in the world's oceans, and 50% of seabirds are "ghost gear". Introducing the research results of being damaged by garbage.

Soichiro Asai, officer of the Climate Energy and Marine Fisheries Office of WWF Japan, said, "Although the negative impact of'ghost gear'on the marine ecosystem is enormous, it has not yet been seen as a serious problem. It is necessary to prevent the outflow of fish and to properly dispose of used fishing gear as a resource. "

It has been pointed out that once plastic waste is released into the sea, it is difficult to collect it, and whales and sea turtles may accidentally swallow it and die.

In addition, when it floats in the sea for a long period of time, it breaks into small pieces due to the force of waves and the influence of ultraviolet rays, and becomes "microplastic" with a size of 5 mm or less.

In addition to the tendency of harmful substances to adhere to "microplastics," cases have been confirmed in which they enter the body of fish and shellfish, and there are concerns about their serious impact on the ecosystem.

At the World Economic Forum's annual meeting five years ago, the British Foundation reported that at least about 8 million tonnes of plastic waste were released into the ocean each year worldwide.

It was also estimated that the weight of plastic in the sea would exceed the weight of fish in 2050 if no measures were taken.

The key to reducing plastic waste in the sea is how to reduce the production and use of plastic and how to promote recycling.

To revitalize the fishing industry through corporate collaboration

It is said that recycling is not progressing due to issues such as the fact that fishing nets are heavy and bulky and therefore costly to transport, and that there are various materials that are difficult to separate.

For example, in Hokkaido, where the fishing industry is thriving, about 1980 tons of fishing nets were put out as garbage in the year until March last year, but according to the road, about 16% of them were recycled.

Under these circumstances, a company in Akkeshi-cho, Hokkaido has collected used plastic fishing nets from nearby fishermen, processed them into granular materials called "pellets", and sold them.

However, it is technically difficult to completely remove the fine substances that adhere during use in fishing, and the strength and quality of the pellets inevitably vary, so it is said that the sales destinations were limited.

In this initiative, we are trying to solve that problem through corporate collaboration = alliance.

The recycling company in Tokyo, which participates in the initiative, has developed a special cleaning method and established a technology to remove deposits from fishing nets in less time by using finer filters than general ones.

We have succeeded in processing into high quality pellets.

Then, through the introduction of the group, we connected with textile-related companies in Osaka who were interested in the use of recycled materials, and this bag making was realized.

Next year, a recycling company in Sapporo will also participate in this initiative, and will work on collecting and recycling fishing nets throughout Hokkaido.

Goro Tamaki, general manager of the high-performance resin division of Tokyo's recycling company "Refine Bath," said, "If we can build a system that allows us to immediately collect used items, we will be able to reduce the number of fishing nets and fishing gear floating in the sea. I would like to work on recycling all Japanese fishing nets someday. "