Plastic is a major source of pollution in Lake Geneva
"Plastic pollution is much more than just an environmental problem; it's a crisis that directly threatens public health and biodiversity. Microplastics are spreading through our ecosystems, contaminating our water sources and even penetrating our food chains. Their harmful effects are not confined to distant oceans, but find their way into our own homes, our food and our bodies. Scientific studies reveal alarming levels of microplastics in the air we breathe, in the snow on our mountain tops, in the food we eat and even in our blood and the placenta of our offspring. This widespread contamination poses serious risks to our health and that of future generations.
Extract from the report " Swiss Plastic Action "published in May 2024 by Earth Action (EA)
50 years ago, when we talked about water pollution, our collective unconscious imagined oil slicks drifting with the currents, trapping aquatic fauna in a black, viscous mass. 25 years ago, our collective unconscious integrated the notion of a continent of plastics, "islands" floating between two waters that also drift with the currents. So what's next?
Images of animals entangled and trapped in plastic waste of all kinds abound on the web, in newsagents and on television. They illustrate the consequences of a society that is always striving for more, but that has little regard for the impact of its actions, sometimes on the other side of the world. Is this paradigm changing?
More and more studies are being carried out on the subject, the literature is expanding and knowledge is evolving and becoming clearer. A fledgling science is studying the impact of plastic on organisms and is waiting for just one thing: to let off steam. At the same time, psychologists are wondering how to change behaviour, and what the right message is to raise awareness in a way that will last. The issue has gone round the world and has become one of the biggest environmental problems that humanity has created and must face up to.
Lake Geneva is no exception to this invasion of plastic, and it was against this backdrop that the ASL decided in 2014 to tackle this issue, a battle it has been waging for 10 years now, with concrete actions on the ground such as Net'Léman - the great lake clean-up and participatory science initiatives such as the Net'Léman Appand scientific studies such as Pla'stock or Léman Plastic Action.
At present, the proven consequences are potentially affecting lake fauna. Birds, fish and mammals are the first victims. Ingestion of debris can lead to obstruction of the digestive and/or respiratory tracts, leading to death in the worst cases.
Another less visible but just as problematic consequence is the ingestion of microplastics by smaller organisms, such as plankton, mussels and so on. According to a EPFL reportcommissioned by the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN), ingestion is a proven fact. However, the impact in the food chain, i.e. the phenomenon of bioaccumulation, is strongly suspected but not yet proven. The metabolisation of additives present in certain plastics could lead organisms higher up the food chain to store toxic components. In other words, humans at the top of the food chain could ingest very large quantities of harmful products by consuming products from the lake, thus mimicking the same phenomenon of bioaccumulation that currently exists with various heavy metals.
Carried out in collaboration with the University of Geneva, the ASL's "Pla'stock" study, proposed and supported by the CIPEL as part of its action plan, has made it possible to estimate the quantities of plastic present on the beaches of Lake Geneva in 2021 and 2022.
A total of 217 substrate samples were taken from 25 beaches. The microplastics (0.3 to 5 mm) extracted from these samples and counted revealed an average of 8,000 microplastics per m2, or 12,000 elements for a 1.5 m2 bath towel. This figure shows the importance of the contribution of synthetic textile fibres released by clothes during washing or through normal wear and tear (more than 60 %). The remainder comes from the fragmentation of plastics in the environment.
In terms of macroplastics, the average concentration was 3.4 plastic elements per linear metre of beach. Most of the items collected were unidentified fragments. The three most frequently identified elements are food packaging, cigarette butts and pellets (industrial plastic granules).
The ASL has mandated the office EA - Earth Action to develop, with the contribution of ASL's expertise, a model for predicting plastic pollution in Lake Geneva, as well as scenarios for reducing it by 2040.
Modelling has shown that almost 100 tonnes of plastics reach Lake Geneva every year, mainly via run-off from impermeable surfaces (83%). The automotive sector is the main contributor (33%), followed by the construction sector (24%) and public infrastructure (11%).
Eight scenarios have been devised, each offering the prospect of a reduction in plastic pollution in the Lake Geneva basin, depending on the action taken and the level of ambition. The most radical scenario would achieve a reduction of 75% by 2040 by combining actions upstream and downstream of plastic production with changes in individual and collective behaviour.
Raising awareness and educating young people is a priority for the ASL, because a better understanding of the lake means better conservation!
In addition to workshops to discover the biodiversity of Lake Geneva in the classroom or at Espace Léman, our nature centre dedicated to the lakeThere will be workshops to raise awareness of plastic issues and clean-up operations.
In the classroom
A 90-minute workshop on the problem of plastic pollution. The first part is devoted to the issues surrounding pollution of the aquatic environment, followed by a practical workshop in which pupils use a microscope to count the plastics contained in a sample of substrate taken from a beach. The aim is to raise awareness of the quantity of microplastics found on beaches and to consider existing solutions for limiting this contamination.
Outdoors
There is a lot of rubbish to be found on the banks of lakes and rivers. Once in the water, it breaks up, polluting the water we drink, entering the food chain or continuing its way to the sea and then the ocean. With this activity, the ASL invites you to take action by picking up litter on the ground, which also raises awareness among young people of the various types of plastic found in the environment. All equipment is provided by the ASL.
Outside schools, the ASL is present at various events to inform and communicate about the problem of plastics in the environment, to talk about the impact on the natural environment and to propose solutions.
Social networks and the press are also important vectors information and awareness-raising for the ASL.
Following on from the Léman Plastic Actionthe ASL is organising the 18 March 2025 a major public conference Plastic overdose in Lake Geneva? "
Following a study in 2018, the ASL organised a workshop on 21 November 2019 by inviting scientists, infrastructure managers and government officials to examine the issue. The aim is to provide information and take stock of the state of the art in our region, and to look for workable solutions with a view to initiating concrete projects!
Below is the video recap of the day's events.
The ASL has chosen 4 themes for the expert groups to examine:
Following these workshops, an initial project was set up in partnership with theUniversity of Geneva and the CIPEL to carry out an inventory of the stock of macro- and microplastics on the beaches of Lake Geneva. More information
An initiative to clean up the shores and depths of Lake Geneva in around ten different areas around the lake. It brings together volunteers of all ages and backgrounds, certified diving teams, paddlers, sailors and other lake partners over the same weekend, with the aim of preserving the beauty and health of Lake Geneva.
The ASL wants to involve civil society in collecting data on litter in order to better understand where it comes from and find solutions to curb this scourge.
The new Net'Léman application is designed for both spontaneous collections, such as during a walk, and large-scale collections organised by a group of motivated people. Easy to use, it encourages young and old alike to do their bit. The functions allow you to enter data in just a few clicks, or even to give more details and feed the database with very comprehensive data (weather, type of soil, type of waste, etc.).
In collaboration with the HEIG-Vaud, the ASL will be able to compile precise statistics in order to count and gain a better understanding of waste flows in the Lake Geneva region. This invaluable data will be used for scientific studies and will make it possible to target the ASL's awareness-raising and information campaigns, the aim being to reduce the amount of waste discharged into our environment.
A dedicated service for groups (companies, schools, etc.) has also been set up to organise tailor-made cleaning operations:
Objectives
As well as sitting on a number of committees (fisheries and ports in the canton of Geneva, Forum Grand Genève, Thonon Agglo, River Committees), the ASL makes representations to the authorities whenever it deems it necessary.
Rue des Cordiers 2
1207 Geneva
Espace Léman opening times
Nature centre dedicated to the lake
Monday to Friday, 11am to 5pm
Association pour la Sauvegarde du Léman - All rights reserved - 2024
Directed by Roguestudio
