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Close up of Neptune Grass balls with blurred background; Shutterstock ID 1581971245; purchase_order: -; job: -; client: -; other: -
A lot of strange things come from the ocean. And for centuries, people by the Mediterranean Sea have seen bundles of ‘Neptune balls’ appear – or otherwise known as Posidonia oceanica seagrass. However, they probably didn’t realise that one day these balls would be collecting microplastic from the ocean by washing the waters of roughly 900 million plastic fragments annually (Picture: Shutterstock / NataliK1101)

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Martin Siepmann/imageBROKER/Shutterstock (14909657m) Balls of fibres of Neptune Grass (Posidonia oceanica) on a beach, Majorca, Balearic Islands, Spain, Europe Various 24bbbfaeef
Neptune balls are known to be anti-bacterial and anti-fungal, and have also had a life  as building insulation and in various commercial applications. But according to study, published in the journal Nature, the seagrass has become invaluable as a natural filter, washing our water of plastics as it acts as a sort of sink  (Picture: imageBROKER/ Shutterstock)

This undated handout photograph released on January 14, 2021 by the University of Barcelona shows plastic-rich balls of seagrass fibers beached in Mallorca Island. - Underwater seagrass in coastal areas across the globe appear to trap bits of plastic in natural bundles of fibre known as "Neptune balls," researchers said on January 14, 2021. With no help from humans, the swaying plants -- anchored to shallow seabeds -- collect nearly 900 million plastic items worldwide every year this way, they reported in the journal Scientific Reports. (Photo by Marta VENY / UNIVERSITY OF BARCELONA / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / UNIVERSITY OF BARCELONA / MARTA VENY " - NO MARKETING - NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS (Photo by MARTA VENY/UNIVERSITY OF BARCELONA/AFP via Getty Images)
The authors said: ‘There is strong evidence that the seafloor constitutes a final sink for plastics from land sources. There is also evidence that part of the plastics lying on the shallow seafloor are washed up back to the shoreline.’ Sea grass trap plastic debris with its natural lignocellulosic fibers, and then eject them so they wash up on shores as balls, helping to ‘counteract marine plastic pollution’ (Picture: Getty Images)

St. Paul's Bay, Malta April 3rd 2025 - Egagropili, aka Neptune balls - fibrous balls of Posidonia grass on the shoreline; Shutterstock ID 2609169573; purchase_order: -; job: -; client: -; other: -
Posidonia oceanica creates an underwater meadow that can grow on rocky or sandy bottoms, and helps clean water more than 130 feet below the water’s surface. The plant can create a structure that can form shoots all year round. The structures can grab pollutants, usually from river water as it flows into the Mediterranean and then traps them. The shoots break away from the plant and form balls that find their way to shore, and bring with them whatever they grabbed (Picture: Shutterstock / Pat Moore)

St. Paul's Bay, Malta April 3rd 2025 - Egagropili, aka Neptune balls - fibrous balls of Posidonia grass on the shoreline; Shutterstock ID 2609169457; purchase_order: -; job: -; client: -; other: -
The study looked at balls of seagrass found on Mallorca, Spain, and revealed that while only 17% of the Neptune balls contained microplastics, the ones that did collect it had it in high quantities (tighter balls were more likely to have grabbed plastic). Some of the plastics found that sometimes the balls contained sanitary towels, tampons and wet wipes. Overall, up to 1,470 plastic items per kilogram of plant material were trapped in Neptune balls (Picture: Shutterstock / Pat Moore)

Posidonia Oceanica, fuzzy algal sea balls, funny kiwi like balls on Mallorca beaches; Shutterstock ID 1337359106; purchase_order: -; job: -; client: -; other: -
The balls also capture carbon, trapping pollutants and locking them away from the atmosphere. This means they may be good for the environment while sitting on beaches, adding humidity and nutrients to the soil, and they are also loaded with plastic that would be otherwise in the sea. The BBC reports that each year between 1.15 and 2.41 million tonnes of plastic flows from rivers to the sea (Picture: Shutterstock / The Art of Pics)

Female hands with seaweed posidonia oceanica commonly known as Neptune grass or Mediterranean tapeweed; Shutterstock ID 1511376872; purchase_order: -; job: -; client: -; other: -
Dr Anna Sanchez-Vidal, lead study of the Barcelona study told the BBC: ‘We say it’s a way of the sea returning the trash to us that was never meant to be on the seafloor.’ However, she emphasises this is not a solution for the oceans plastic problem. She added: ‘We’ve never seen them as a remediation, or as a way to clean the trash from the sea’ (Picture: Shutterstock / Pedal to the Stock)


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