I recently came across a photo that I can only describe as “post-apocalyptic cute.” It depicted a small, beady-eyed, purple hermit crab with its fragile abdomen neatly tucked within a bright red object.
This “shell” provided the small crustacean with armor that kept it perfectly balanced and easily manipulated. However, it was not a traditional seashell, but rather a discarded plastic bottle cap. This image is a moving depiction of the serious global problem of plastic pollution we currently face.
Hermit crabs scavenge for things from the ocean floor and use them for protection. This habit of finding their home and carrying it on their backs earned them their delightful name.
However, instead of finding beautiful coiled snail shells to nestle in, many hermit crabs today pick up pieces of trash that we throw away and hide inside them.
A group of Polish researchers based at Warsaw University and Poznań University conducted an “Internet Ecology Study,” during which they scoured social media for photos of hermit crabs decorated with human trash. They found 386 photos in total from every tropical coast in the world.
According to the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) 2021 report, plastic production has increased by an almost unimaginable 18,300% in 65 years, leading to a current oversupply of plastic waste that we are struggling to dispose of responsibly.
Recycling may seem like an obvious solution, but as of 2015, only 9% of generated plastic waste was being recycled, according to a major study on the fate of plastic.
Examples of plastic reuse
Mark Miodnik, Professor of Materials and Society at University College London, has stated that reusing is the best solution to the plastic waste problem. One major effort in bringing reuse into the mainstream is Loop, which operates a “global reverse supply chain” in partnership with major brands, collecting used packaging from consumers and retailers through a deposit return scheme.
Despite the devastating increase in plastic production, there is hope for significant change in the near future. A commitment to a binding treaty to end plastic pollution has already been signed by 175 countries, setting the stage for a pivotal year in rewriting the plastic waste rulebook.
In the meantime, reusing as much of the materials we already have in abundance can help alleviate the plastic waste problem. As a lead researcher on hermit crab research in Poland, Zusanna Jagiello notes that the animals are simply taking advantage of what’s available to them.
Source: www.sciencefocus.com
