During the My Sea Campaign in Klaipėda, the good weather and washed-up algae allowed to demonstrate the research methods used in the ESMIC study to interested people.
Altogether 344 pieces of litter were found on the Melnragė beach in a section of about 100 m. during the simultaneous observations. The limit defining Good Environmental Status is 20 units, and the findings exceed it 17 times.
Approximately 0.38 pieces/m2 of litter were found in the algae deposits, while nearly 0.14 pieces/m2 were found in the sand of the nearby beach. Several times (2.5 times) more garbage pollutes the beaches in algae accumulations compared to the nearby sand. This result once again draws attention to one of the main messages of the ESMIC Project, that under favourable conditions, the utilization of algae accumulations can help reduce the pollution of the Baltic Sea by litter.
Some statistics:
* 93 per cent of all found objects were polymer materials (plastics), most of which were single-use plastic products;
* 136 cigarette butts were found (40% of found litter).