Tackling Shipping Litter: Richard Lord Brings Guernsey's Fight To The International Stage
Backed by Insurance Corporation’s 2024 Conservation Awards, Richard Lord is shining a global spotlight on the Shipping Litter Crisis. Earlier this year, Richard was named runner-up in the Bailiwick Conservation Awards for his tireless work documenting illegal litter washing ashore in Guernsey. His efforts culminated in a rare invitation to present at the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) Marine Environment Protection Committee meeting in London on 2 October 2024.
Richard’s project, supported by the “Found on the Beach in Guernsey” community, has uncovered shipping litter originating from over 80 countries. This ground breaking evidence has drawn attention to the widespread non-compliance with MARPOL regulations, which prohibit dumping waste at sea. His presentation to international delegates highlighted these findings and called for stronger enforcement and regulation.
In our interview with Richard, he discusses what inspired his mission, the global scale of the issue, and how community-driven efforts are essential for change. Read on to learn more about how Guernsey’s beaches are becoming a crucial data point in the fight against marine pollution and his vision for future action.
Can you describe what drove you to tackle illegal shipping litter on Guernsey's shores, and what inspired you to start documenting this issue?
Guernsey is located about 45 kilometres south-east of the inbound international shipping lane in the English Channel - one of the world's most important shipping lanes. This shipping lane delivers freight from all over the world to European ports. The outbound international shipping lane to the north of the Inbound shipping lane carries goods from Europe to the rest of the world.
The Marine Pollution Convention (MARPOL) Annex V prohibits the disposal of rubbish at sea. For ships over 400 tonnes, this regulation has been in place since 31st December 1988. Now the regulation applies to all ships. There are a number of MARPOL annexes. Each one deals with a particular pollution problem from ships.
Guernsey beach cleaners recognised that much of the litter washing up came from ships because the litter originates in so many countries. So far we have documented plastic bottles from 67 countries and plastic litter originating in about 80 countries.
The island of Guernsey is ideally located to monitor litter from ships as so many merchant ships pass Guernsey each day. Guernsey produces residential litter and this finds its way onto the Guernsey shore. It is frustrating to find during the summer months, single-use barbecues, and food and drink packaging on the shore, which is left by individuals.
On the other hand, shipping litter is dumped overboard by crew members working for companies. Crew members that dump litter at sea are breaking the law. Companies say they abide by regulations. Company websites have sections on sustainability, but the evidence 'Found on the Beach in Guernsey' suggests that at least some companies are not meeting their regulatory obligations.
What has been the most surprising or impactful discovery you’ve made while collecting plastic debris from over 80 countries, and how does this highlight the global scale of the problem?
Toxic and poisonous goods wash up occasionally. In this case, the Guernsey Fire Service has to be called to safely remove the hazardous cargo.
By networking with over 200 beach cleaning groups and individuals through social media, we have established that the same litter that washes up on Guernsey also washes up on the coast of Australia, the Brazilian coast, India, Japan, South Korea, Mediterranean islands etc. and some of the remotest islands in the world such as the uninhabited Henderson Island (part of the Pitcairn Group) in the South Pacific, and 'Inaccessible Island', part of the Tristan da Cunha archipelago, in the South Atlantic.
How has the ‘Found on the Beach in Guernsey’ Facebook group contributed to your efforts, and what role does community involvement play in addressing shipping litter pollution?
Sam Reoch who set up the Facebook group "Found on the Beach in Guernsey" provides a platform for Guernsey beach cleaners to communicate with each other. We can make each other aware of cargo losses washing up on the shore, and we can alert each other to certain products that might be washing up, like for example insecticide spray cans, and items that indicate they most probably originated from the same illegal littering event at sea.
Members of 'Found on the Beach in Guernsey' have been essential to establish the scale of the shipping litter problem. Certain members such as Wendy Le Prevost, Janet Unitt, Lisa Smart and her family, Wayne Branquet and Sam Reoch and many others have saved shipping litter for me to photograph and record. Without their help it would not be possible to determine how many countries supply litter to the Guernsey shore, and the scale of the shipping litter problem. Litter from ships is the main source of food and drink packaging washing up on a daily basis on the Guernsey shore.
What message did you deliver to the delegates at the International Maritime Organisation, and what outcomes are you hoping to achieve from your presentation?
It is very unusual for someone outside the organisation to be invited to speak. Dr Heike Deggim who is on the IMO's Senior Management Council, made the offer when I tagged her in a LinkedIn post. The IMO is the Secretariat for member states. It is a United Nations body, which provides a service to its members. Funding for the IMO comes from member states. The countries which have the most flagged vessels pay the most towards its operation. Panama is the largest financial contributor to the IMO because it has the most flagged vessels.
I think the Secretariat is aware of the continued shipping litter problem. There are future meetings planned to try and address the continued problem. I was invited as an outsider to raise awareness of the continued problem. I represented the volunteer beach cleaners from 'Found on the Beach in Guernsey'. We have no professional affiliation so I could speak freely. There was an objection from the Chinese delegation about my reference to plastic litter of Chinese origin washing up. An apology was made by the IMO Secretariat but the message was still delivered.
Winning the runner-up prize for Best Conservation Project in the Bailiwick Conservation Awards is a great achievement – what does this recognition mean to you, and how do you plan to build on this momentum moving forward?
The prize money was essential to pay for the travel costs to give the presentation. I can give my time freely but there are costs to doing this project including utility costs and equipment costs.
I am working on shipping litter full time. It is not just the beach cleaning that takes time, but also the washing and the sorting of litter and the photography. Some regular beach litter items remain unidentified. Individual items are grouped together with the hope that in time they can be identified.
Many plastic bottles wash up without labels. By building a plastic bottle reference library, we can match unlabelled plastic bottles collected from the Guernsey shore with labelled bottles. By doing this, we have established that most of the plastic bottles found on the Guernsey shore come from ships.
The documentation of shipping litter washing up on the Guernsey shore made possible by members of 'Found on the Beach in Guernsey' is being used to produce policy papers on shipping litter. There is on-going work by various international bodies to address this issue. Some of the images of shipping litter from Guernsey were submitted to the IMO to be used in negotiations.
Is there anything else you'd like to add?
The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) is not an enforcement agency. The national delegates through the IMO formulate the regulations. It is up to the agencies in the member states to enforce the regulations. My understanding is that MARPOL regulations can be enforced by a country that has recorded an infringement within their territorial waters, or by the nation that has flagged the vessel that has infringed the regulations.
The Guernsey beach cleaning community will continue to record litter from ships. We hope to present our evidence to the national authorities responsible for enforcing the regulations. For the UK, this is the Coastguard and Maritime Agency. They and the French authorities need to be kept informed of the amount of shipping litter washing up on the Guernsey shore, and along both sides of the English Channel.
My plan is to self-publish a catalogue of the litter washing up, and use this publication to raise awareness of the shipping litter problem with the relevant authorities.
Photography galleries of beach litter: