Plastics are becoming a serious problem for the health of our communities, it is estimated that 85% of the plastics that we use are not recycled. The evidence is everywhere, plastic makes up most of the litter we see in our parks, grass verges and beaches. Determined to do something positive during zero Waste Week ( first week of September) we have signed up to participate in the Marine Conservation Society’s BIG BEACH CLEAN.
Helping to clean up our beaches is only the beginning of combating the problem, Beachwatch also surveys the litter collected and for the first time this year will be using the plastic collected to make new bottles for cosmetics.
We are paying a terrible price for our waste; every minute one truck load of plastic ends up in our oceans( it is now estimated that each ocean has a patch of plastic twice the size of Texas) – see The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, marine wildlife is under threat from the waste and litter in our seas, with hundreds of species accidentally eating or becoming entangled in litter. The waste in our oceans damages tourism and fishing industries and many plastics degrade to micro-plastics, which are then eaten by fish, meaning that many plastics are now ending up on our plates . Why not join an event or organise your own and be part of the solution ? Lets do something positive together !