Special report: Plastics ruining Indian Ocean beaches

The amount of plastic on beaches around the world could be underestimated by up to 80%.
Those are the findings of new research carried out on the remote Cocos Keeling Islands.
Despite their isolated position in the Indian Ocean, tonnes of plastic waste is washed up on the shores - often from thousands of miles away in Australia, Indonesia and beyond.
Our South East Asia Correspondent Tom Rayner has this special report.
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[@nickuk911]

terrible just terrible, i myself pick up tonnes of trash when out walking but we need a massive change in how plastic is used and a lot of educating to even make any sort of real change

[@KawaiiCat2]

The problem is just as bad here on the west coast of United States. I often go to the beach and paddle in the ocean and I feel plastic everywhere. It's horrindeous by the docks of Long Beach. So much rubbish by the dock legs as well as the beach in general. I am horrified everytime I go there and do as much as I can to pick up the trash I see.

[@Sean-nl5ge]

People - please start drinking from your own water bottle and stop buying pointless plastic bottles!

[@nightcorefox2181]

I just went to East coast and I saw A LOT of thrash and why do people litter around?! Plastics takes millions of years to melt and why do people buy bottles when they can bring their own bottle and refill. India is a place for us to learn about pollution and it is terrible! The water turned black. I wonder how Indians take care of their country. They must stop doing that or sea creatures might get hurt or trapped by the thrash. This is a global warming ( I think )

[@braddocke.hutton7392]

I never buy bottled water and I save every food container I can. Anything I can't reuse I recycle.

[@BGDOCHII]

yeah!

[@mybluemars]

18:02 "Pollution is a design choice"

[@deborahsailor7436]

Coca-cola 100 billion plastic bottles a year. A percent of profit for environmental protection.Corporations need to be held accountable.

[@mattaus]

Absolutely agree. Our governments should play in forcing these companies into action. We as consumers must make better choices also.

[@vacationmood6469]

Sadly, some people throw it and other pick it.

[@damienc12]

Maldives, Sri Lanka, China, Indonesia, Malaysia... Surprisingly absolutely nothing from such a big polluter like Australia! They've either secretly solved the ocean plastic problem or they don't know that they and pretty much every first world country ships their "recyclables" to China, Thailand and the like. Per capita pollution by even a packaging-crazy Asian country like Japan is a fraction of what the Aussies, Brits and Americans do. Even us Chileans pollute more than the countries named in this documentary. At least we don't export our pollutants to them.

[@annaluxury.21]

Yes, work together😘😇 It makes a good feeling of the Earth and it save for the animals so they don't die from plastic stuff

[@Chinareport]

spreading it via twitter @asiareportcom and onto site - spread the word people and help raise awareness to not litter with plastic. Greets to everyone from The Netherlands.

[@bbygrlpt2]

From all the plastic we consume.. Plastic bottles and bags are the easiest to just stop using. And it’d make such a big difference in the world but we have to all come together and do it. Otherwise the next generation will suffer the consequences.

[@Scepticalasfuk]

They are now.

[@tatianachuah]

Paul Sharp finally point out the key groups that can change from the front end. But when can they change they way the produce the goods?

[@brittanybbexx]

How come this isn’t national wide, smh. I’m 26 and barley found out about the plastic issue we have world wide. I wish it was sooner. But I been making little changes everyday:)

[@ravikumarts8845]

Why don't all the Nations in the world are not taking serious action in this issue. Only the bio degradable plastic to be used in future.

[@keribissette1079]

Stop buying plastic I wish they didn’t make plastic

[@NICKKASSAM1]

Bold actions are needed ...people talk too much about it but only few get in to action 95% bla...bla...bla...5% action

[@peterblackburn7269]

all humans on this earth should be ashamed of what is hapening theres only one earh🤔

[@peterblackburn7269]

the only goverment that care is how much plastic money in the account for there own private accounts and thats world governments

[@duett445]

Agree , I am ashamed

[@alfonsoraygoza8106]

as if no one in our beautiful planet called earth had the mental capabilty to make plastics and other things biodegradable, i mean they were able to make vehicles to explore the moon and a whole bunch of other things but when it comes about protecting our precious home, our planet, just nobody can do it, how sad and regrettable that really is.

[@bbygrlpt2]

Because theyre all full of greed. They wont do anythin that doesnt make them money.

[@mikes5637]

I've been recycling all my plastic, glass and cardboard for over 10 years. It's really not complicated or difficult.

[@amye1642]

Just because items are placed into the recycle bin does not mean they get recycled, they can still end up in the environment. The use of disposable plastic needs to be discontinued. And that is complicated and difficult, considering most food packaging.

[@SteveMarksMusic]

great report. I want to help design a system to physically remove plastic from oceans, start to tackle those massive garbage patches in the oceans...!!

[@duggydugg3937]

Steve Marks figure out how to get rid of particle Plastics and microplastics... Boyan slat is already making a big dent in the plastic that is rushing from rivers to the ocean... That is plastic largely in original form ... Not plastic that has fractured into particles and microparticles... Particulate plastic is going to f*** the entire Earth.. correction... Is in the process of f****** the entire planet

[@_FsEk]

Better still, figure out methods of avoiding the generation of plastics at source. Reduce the source reduce the increase of the garbage patch. It’s about turning away from the use of plastics toward alternative materials and reducing the use of single use plastics for more durable reusable materials.

[@nigelipad]

Just aired again , first time seeing it

[@duggydugg3937]

i recently saw and heard an av that showed our carefully recycled wastes stored in bales in China not being processed at all

[@hingshwnyi4138]

I'm from Malaysia. We are now known as the world's new garbage dump. Western countries ship their 'recyclables' to us. What on earth....

[@duanecotter1463]

I couldn't afford beach front property. Now I don't want it.

[@Cinetterose]

People ruin everything!

[@peterblackburn7269]

Deanna Demers humans !!ruin everything

[@annaluxury.21]

@@peterblackburn7269 well specially us, All of humans live in this earth needs to ACT NOW. 🌏 I'm a human, don't blame at just one person is not good to argument, God wants us to work as a TEAMS🤗

[@jenmb2679]

My city still wont even recycle styrafoam!.thats a huge problem ,too. Its like were living in the 80's

[@Scepticalasfuk]

Stop buying styrofoam.

[@kennethreddy2517]

Piano music name pls???

[@shaunburton5976]

Its interesting how most comments on here blame the companies. If people were educated and chose to not use plastics then things will change.....but not fast enough!

[@lindseymaelong2232]

We can change the world because our world is suffering and needs our help and think about the animals who lives with us

[@infocat13]

I saw some metal junk produced by the islanders such as old machinery and motor vehicles these could be cleaned up and used as an artificial reef and/or jetty

[@swxqt6826]

Worst thing is, no manufactures does anything about it but its not u, its where u throw ur garbage where it doesn't get recycled

[@nadejdajeanschmidt1015]

But where do all the plastic come from, is it a Containership lose few containers..?? or is it simple people frow the plastic in the water different plases.

[@waminette]

Poor countries who don't have any waste disposal.

[@krielle3877]

Any litter anywhere will most likely always end up in the ocean over time by wind and water carrying it, some companies and waste disposal companies I’m sure just throw away all the waste into the ocean when it’s convenient for them, also don’t be fooled into believing developed countries have waste disposal figured out. Only about about 9% of all waste is recycled even in developed countries and most of the time they just send the waste to places like China where they have more recycling infrastructure but even so developed countries just send them all their waste thinking it’s all recyclable so it makes the developed countries seem more clean at the expense of sending developing countries all their waste that often physically can’t be recycled even if they wanted to. In the search of profits all this waste is often just burnt or thrown in the ocean (also expensive for all the labour to sort such huge amounts of random plastics). Recently China has stopped accepting the worlds’ waste but this role has only been replaced by other developing countries in the region looking to make a quick profit. The nature of plastic makes it incredibly hard to sort and recycle, they can’t be infinitely recycled and there’s hundreds of different types making it even more difficult to build all the specific recycling infrastructure. The solution is to stop producing plastic altogether it is a fantastic material in the short term but very flawed and deadly in the long term.

[@casseybatotoy3261]

We have the same problem in Boracay Philippines but the new government are making a big decision to minimize the tourist so that we can have a clean Boracay again for the next generation..

[@thetruth9775]

I no longer use plastic bags, I use re usable only. Paper bags in a pinch.

[@samreynolds3789]

MILITARY & CRUISE SHIPS & YATCHS

[@ab-oe7el]

Most of this plastic is taken by ocean gyres and currents from India, Indonesia and Malaysia

[@kinkytail872]

Save our 🌏

[@superiorbeing95]

I noticed they collected all the plastic off the beaches in sacks made of plastic :-(

[@jenmb2679]

Why arent states putting deposits on all plastic bottles,like we do with pop bottles? Youll never see any pop bottles anywhere on the ground or on our beaches.

[@jasminwilson5467]

Me and my school are doing this

[@Tornicod1]

start animals and sea protection

[@jenmb2679]

Ecopure is free for manufacturers

[@jenmb2679]

Id like to help clean up beaches.

[@coksevenbilir]

😢 SEA WATER BUILDED US ! BUT WE DESTROYED IT 😓

[@ShahirDiamond]

Actually... Plastics is the by product of the bigger and more lucrative industry, oil and gas. Anyone who still supporting fossil fuel responsible and answerable for each plastics waste anywhere in the world. Whether on the beaches or in ditches!

[@ShahirDiamond]

That's means all of us... Maybe except the Eskimos and the Aborigines

[@dr.sammypryor]

Guys plastics are choking us and are seafood. It is detrimental to the seafood, and to our bodies! In my new video series called "Plastics and Your Health" I discuss what is going on in our bodies, but more important I discuss ways to lower your exposure!

[@macjackfan]

We need to tell large companies that put all of our food and water in plastic, to Stop Making Plastic bottles, plastic wrap, and plastic storage bags. Also that stupid styrofoam that can't be recycled. Also tell toy companies to stop making plastic toys and go back to wooden toys, and and aluminum toys that can be recycled. We also need to start fining all these large fishing companies and independent fishermen when they leave all the nylon fishing line in the ocean and ocean sea life gets tangled up in the fishing lines. So sad! :-(

[@Njadeashley]

I leave in a Apts complex that we only have trash containers, I have being recycling for years now, is not that difficult to get all together and just go to recycling center, I go about 2 times a months to do this.

[@stevenherrold5955]

thanks for making this English

[@paddywhack9261]

at least they're still drinking a lot [no sarcasm]

[@WipedoutCanada]

😢

[@princessfaithful6539]

Some times when we throw it in the trash bin, when the truck comes and take the trash , they take it to the dam side and the animals go there and eat our trash.

[@NICKKASSAM1]

Governments around the world should send all the military guys to clean these infected areas instead of having fun and doing nothing in the camps...Students around the world must go once a week to clean their areas as part of their education process not just talking bla...bla...and playing with cell phones days in days out ...

[@mrutan6055]

Is this from individuals or are cities still dumping city garbage in the oceon

[@BGDOCHII]

Wow thats alot XD

[@roberthubley1835]

It’s to late people the damage is done big corporations are not going to say don’t use our products it all money and it won’t stop

[@nhanlevan9324]

It is time we stop single-use plastic utensils, I always want the owner to hire highly for plastic products. It is really too dangerous. to allow natural products to have a path of life such as products from bamboo or wood. Our forests are completely planted and regenerated, providing space for creatures and at the same time protecting the environment. [e-mail]

[@josefinematildehansenvonki2384]

I ask myself why there are more then 114.000 people who have watched this, but only 926 who have liked it. I do wonder. Doesn't people want to take more action?

[@joseavelenda7126]

Every little bit helps if everyone did their part, but if there are no recycling programs where ones live, at very least put the waste in the wastebasket in a religious way...

[@tomthx5804]

The other thing is that these islands are right on the major shipping route. So lots of it is crap that gets thrown overboard from ships. That's why the garbage comes from many different countries - because the ships come from many different countries. It is not that the ocean is filling up with plastics everywhere. They had to go find an island where the stuff collects, due to certain currents, shipping lanes, etc. Sorry, no sale on the latest scare story from Sky.

[@richardbowers3647]

Here's a simple idea! Common people + plastic + simple mold = plastic bucks = plastic shoes = money! Just saying.

[@jacqueslacy6794]

yo my friend denzel is in this video, go follow him on instagram: @denzel_whichello also follow me cuz i post really inspiring plastic removal and stuff we live on this island my instagram here: @_jacquez_lacy_

[@princessfaithful6539]

Doesn't anyone care about our planet? We just throw trash on the ground like we don't care. Our animals eat the trash that we throw and die. If we keep doing this, all our animals will die. Whenever I watch this kind of videos, I cry...

[@almerdoring9857]

This human mess makes me sad that the future generation will suffer the brunt.

[@maka3230]

People are lazy everything is about convenient these days. People excuses is do what ever they want. Thats why the world is full of irresponsible people.

[@ayronsouzasantos3022]

Ok.

[@ksearcher4623]

Why they have not mentioned developing country INDIA 🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳

[@user-wp9ye7wn9w]

Aha, so many garbage, it's come from Thailand and Indonesia & Malaysia & Vietnam and etc. 🙌🤔

[@lilleyprescott2448]

interestingly the majority of people who are actually doing something aren't the ones who started or continue to do this are the old people the boomers. There the worst..just the worst.

[@merinkjacob2443]

Why cant we dump this plastic waste in outer space?

[@hefindavies3088]

Merin K Jacob because the planet will die

[@johnhunt4634]

The shivering mailbox centrally unfasten because sturgeon joly wait amongst a diligent cirrus. puzzled, blushing pharmacist