Sat 11 Apr |
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"A wake up call" That’s what the Prince of Wales said was needed to ensure that the British coastline would no longer be treated like a dustbin by modern throwaway society and litter louts. To ensure that our seas, "overfished and awash with rubbish... do not fall silent or still." It’s no surprise that number one on their list of top 10 items found on the coast is plastic. In fact, plastic consistently accounts for over 50% of all litter recorded on our beaches. Plastic rope, plastic caps/lids, crisp/sweet/lolly wrappers, drinks bottles, and plastic bags. The simple fact is, since its step in to the consumer market in the 1950s, it has been anticipated that plastic lasts for around 400 years, but many scientists now believe that number is more like 1000. With 200 million tonnes of plastic being produced each year, which is in itself an unbelievably large number, imagine how much plastic will exist in 10 years let alone 400, or indeed 1000. The figure is an astronomical one. Essentially this means that every single piece of plastic produced since the 1950s is still around today, and this amount is growing at an alarming rate every year. This is because plastic doesn’t biodegrade, it photo degrades, breaking down in to microscopic toxic pieces, or plastic "dust", contaminating the soils, waterways, and oceans where it can be ingested by filter feeding animals such as barnacles and lugworms, thus entering the food chain which will see the toxins passed to fish, and eventually to human consumers. Following the example of Modbury in Devon which, in 2007, became the first plastic bag free town in Great Britain, the country is in the process of removing all trace of plastic bags from our stores. The world uses anywhere from 500 billion to 1.2 trillion plastic bags a year, or one million bags per minute, and in 2007 over 7,500 were discovered on UK beaches. Easily mistaken for food or shelter by marine animals, the bags have been found in the stomachs of endangered species such as leatherback turtles, harbour porpoises, and black footed albatross. Ingestion can result in blockages, internal infections, starvation, and ultimately death. But if the wellbeing of wildlife doesn’t particularly concern you, it must be noted that marine litter affects every one of us. Not only do we risk ingesting plastic toxins, and not only is it a health hazard (144 syringes and 11,922 glass pieces were found on UK beaches in 2007), and let’s face it, it’s not very pretty to look at, it also costs UK taxpayers many millions of pounds to clear up and dispose of annually. Local authorities spend approximately £14 million a year to clean up beach litter in England and Wales alone, and given the current economic climate it is clearly ludicrous that such an amount of money is having to be spent clearing up the litter that we create. The solution is quite simple, stop littering and the country can save £14 million. Removing plastic bags from stores is just a small step to clearing up our coast, but there are other categories of beach litter that are bound to increase in the coming years. With the new UK ban on smoking in public places, for instance, cigarette butts dropped in the streets will eventually be washed on to beaches, having been carried through guttering and drains by the rain, and will persist for 12-15 years. An estimated several trillion cigarette butts enter the environment every year, according to the Cigarette Litter Organisation, and during the 2007 Beachwatch survey a total of 15,989 were found on 354 beaches around the UK. By producing vital annual surveys, The Marine Conservation Society is able to work towards providing evidence to support its actions: Influencing the development of government policy on litter legislation, contributing to international marine litter campaigns, lobbying for a plastic bag ban/tax, discouraging balloon releases (to avoid littering and potentially fatal ingestion of balloons by marine animals), assisting in prosecutions of illegal litter disposal, advising government and industry on marine litter issues, campaigning for a reduction in sewage related debris, promoting the provision and use of port reception facilities at all ports, marinas and harbours, campaigning against cigarette litter, and finally, raising awareness of everyone’s individual responsibility. But, in the end, it is the consumers whom we rely on to help clear up our beaches and improve the lives of marine animals, not to mention making our shores more enjoyable to look at. Eighty percent of household waste is made up of single use items, so reduce the amount of plastic packaging you buy. Reuse items where possible, for instance, butter tubs can be used as storage boxes, and if you can’t reuse it recycle it instead. When you throw something away, remember that you’re not actually throwing it "away"; you’re simply removing the waste from your house and placing it somewhere else. Out of sight, out of mind. If you’re interested in taking part in one of The Marine Conservation Society’s events throughout the year, you can find the information you need at http://www.adoptabeach.org.uk/pages/page.php?cust_id=5 Lastly, the important thing to remember is this: Reduce, reuse, recycle, and you alone can help care for our coastlines and help save the lives of the animals that inhabit it.
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