We’re all used to finding bits of litter on public beaches and plastic objects washed up from the sea. Most items can be picked up by hand and dropped into a litter bin. But what happens when you see a large blue plastic container that weighs so much, it takes a couple of people to drag it along the sand. That’s what happened on May 17th when Planet Aware came across this mysterious object dumped on Ventnor beach. It turned out that the bucket contained a lump of palm oil.
The incident raises so many questions such as: How did it get there? Why was it full of palm oil? Who was responsible? We can only speculate on the answers based on what we already know about increasing number of lumps of palm oil being washed up on beaches.
These lumps of palm oil - sometimes called ‘bergs’ - are white or yellowy and have a waxy texture. They are created when ship owners wash out their ships after carrying large amounts of palm oil. As long as the ship is travelling at 7 knots and over 22 kilometres from the shore with a depth of 25 metres under the keel, the cleaning process is legal. Any leftover palm oil is flushed out into the sea but, because the oil is less dense than water, the discharged palm oil often solidifies – especially in the colder waters of the UK.
The bergs of palm oil themselves are not dangerous but the oily mixture often combines with other waste products which might be toxic. There have been cases of dogs becoming extremely ill after eating the substance on beaches. On its website, HM Coastguard says when you see a berg “to be cautious, steer clear and to keep children away” and to “report sightings of any shoreline pollution to the relevant local authority – usually the local council.”
In addition to the bergs of palm oil landing on your local beach, it’s useful to consider its environmental impact at a more global level. Palm oil is a form of vegetable oil and you’ll find it in about 50% of processed food products in your local supermarket. Look out for it listed amongst the ingredients on everything from packaged pizza to chocolate, deodorant to lipstick.
In itself, palm oil is safe enough for humans but the problem is that the huge demand is causing massive deforestation. Cutting down indigenous trees and making way for palm trees has resulted in loss of habitat for many already endangered species such as the Orangutan. Replanting and poor soil use has created million of tonnes in climate-changing greenhouse gases, and in some countries there has been serious exploitation of workers and child labour.
Some people are responding to the problem by boycotting any products containing palm oils. However, the World Wildlife Fund recommends instead that we try to support the sustainable farming of palm oil. One way to do this is to look out for the RSPO global standard on packaging as this certifies sustainable palm oil production. You can also find out more about the brands you buy using the WWF’s Palm Oil Scorecard.
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