Waste in Oceania. Oceania? My atlas does not know any Oceania and in the German geography classes we did not learn about this term during our school days. Who else but honeymooners might be interested in the South Sea Islands? Do they have any relevance for the global structure?

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With this article, COPLARE hopes to contribute its share so that the public discussion is steered to the topic of waste management and that the shortcomings in the current practices are identified. We will only be able to attain more recycling as soon as the homework regarding waste management is done. This is what we learned by the crossing of Oceania! 

Along the West Coast of USA and Canada, we learned of ports where fishermen's used nets and fishing lines are accepted free of charge and taken to recycling companies. We asked ourselves what could possibly be made using old fishing nets. We met Paul King, a textile dealer in Vancouver, whose company, Kendor Textiles, is attempting to bring more sustainably-produced textiles to the market. Amongst other things, Kendor Textiles supplies its customers with textiles manufactured from recycled nylon. Fishing nets are often made from nylon. All we needed were a few more bits of information before we understood how old fishing nets are turned into almost brand-new and useful consumer items. Our explorer instinct kicked into gear, and whenever we had time and Internet access we made a few searches and managed to discover some fascinating facts and companies. Read full article...

It was not hard to guess that plastic waste would be a huge problem in Panama due its geographic location, both on the Pacific and on the Atlantic side. On the Atlantic side, Panama Bay is a catch basin for all the flotsam that has been thrown into the water in the Caribbean or flushed into the sea from rivers in neighbouring countries. 

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We’ve got a quite positive picture of Spain’s waste management. Even if the country still ranks in the middle field in official European statistics on how much waste is recycled Spanish politicians make marks and do what needs to be done for building up a properly working recycling system in the right order. Learn more...

Garbage in the sea is not a new phenomenon. Haven't you ever been on holiday and got upset about a beach that did not look clean and inviting ... a great big garbage patch ... broken plastic ... dead animals ... more plastic than plankton ... plastic as a toxic sponge ... the list goes on.