Plastic Debris on Shores : An Evaluation of Collecting and Recycling Possibilities in Fiji

Abstract: Today plastic debris is found in significant amounts in all the Earth’s oceans. The issue of marine plastic debris becomes most visible for people when it is drifted to shores and ends up on beaches and in harbours. Therefore, this study aims to investigate if collecting plastic debris on shores in Fiji for recycling purposes can be justified from ecological, economical and social perspectives. Collection and recycling possibilities are investigated partly through a literature study and partly by interviews and observations in Fiji. Large-scale collection and recycling of plastics comes with many challenges. A reduction of shore-based plastic debris could over time result in an improvement from an ecological perspective, as long as the collection does not occur during nesting times. With current conditions, collection is hard to justify from an economical perspective and would require internalization of damage costs. Besides being time consuming, collection activities in communities have no apparent disadvantages and could therefore be motivated from a social perspective. In conclusion, the ecological and social effects are mainly positive. However, the economical perspective requires the corrections of market failures.