What Our Drinking Water Has to Do with Puffins

A puffin floats on the sea, repeatedly dipping its head underwater. Then it plunges headfirst into the sea, hunting for sandeels.

What it sometimes finds instead: plastic. Small fragments that look like prey – and which it brings back to its chicks in the nest. The chicks then die a painful death from internal injuries or starve because their stomachs are filled with plastic instead of fish.

Plastic in the ocean is not an abstract problem. It affects specific animals in specific places – including the North Sea. A study published in November 2025 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) showed how deadly even small amounts of plastic are for seabirds and other marine organisms. According to the WWF, half a million tons of plastic waste end up in the Mediterranean Sea annually.

You're now wondering what you can do about it? Read on to learn more about the effects of our plastic consumption.

Plastic in the sea: When trash becomes nesting material

In breeding colonies in the North Sea, the plastic problem is particularly drastic. Gannets (Morus bassanus) normally collect seaweed and grass for their nests. But increasingly, they weave plastic strings, net remnants, and packaging straps into their breeding sites instead. They mistake the material for natural fibers. ^[1]

Four out of five seabird nests contain plastic

The consequences are fatal: chicks and adult birds get entangled in the plastic and strangle themselves. On the Welsh island of Grassholm, one of the largest gannet colonies in the world, records showed that around 80% of all nests contained plastic. The problem is also documented on Heligoland, Germany's only offshore island, where Greenpeace has repeatedly drawn attention to the situation of the gannet colony there.

Plastic in the stomach: The Fulmar as an indicator

Since the 1980s, researchers have been examining stranded fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis) on North Sea beaches. The result is shockingly consistent: plastic was found in the stomachs of 95% of all birds examined. ^[2]

The OSPAR Commission, responsible for protecting the Northeast Atlantic, has set an environmental target: less than 10% of fulmars should have more than 0.1 grams of plastic in their stomachs. This target was not met in 2023 either. ^[3]

Puffins are also affected

Puffins (Fratercula arctica) ingest microplastics through contaminated prey fish or mistake small plastic fragments directly for food. While the biggest threat to puffins remains the climate-related decline of their main prey, plastic is an additional stress factor that further burdens the already endangered population.

8 million tons – every year

An estimated 8 to 12 million tons of plastic enter the oceans annually. ^[5] According to the 2024-2025 International Cleanup Report by Ocean Conservancy, a Washington-based NGO, plastic bottles rank second among items collected worldwide. ^[6]

The most common finds worldwide:

Munich tap water: spring water from the tap

If you turn on the tap in Munich, you get fresh water from the Mangfall Valley. Naturally filtered through Alpine gravel layers, it is so clean that it only rarely needs to be chlorinated. Stadtwerke München considers it among the best drinking water in Europe. ^[7]

What you can do

To reduce your own plastic consumption, you can start right away:

• Drink tap water: in Munich, you get spring water quality directly from the tap.
• Use a reusable bottle: buy once, refill for years.
• Participate in coastal cleanups: e.g., through NABU or local initiatives like Cleanup München.
• Support seabird protection: Numerous organizations protect breeding colonies in the North and Baltic Seas. Choose one that you like best and support it with a small donation!

Puffin Ridge Co. donates 1% of its sales to the protection of seabirds and their habitats.

Frequently asked questions