Marine Conservation Society Press Release
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MCS Beachwatch - Our Beaches Are Deluged With Plastic Litter - UK Press Release
26th March 2010BEACHWATCH BIG WEEKEND 2009 RESULTS
From syringes to an incubator, vampire teeth to a fake severed finger – our beaches are deluged with plastic litter
Politicians pledge to reduce marine litter
Litter on our beaches is still unacceptably high, with more plastic rubbish washed up than ever before. Those are the shocking findings from the Marine Conservation Society’s (MCS) Beachwatch Big Weekend 2009 report. It also reveals that while total litter has increased by 77% since the first Beachwatch in 1994, plastic litter has increased by a staggering 121%.
MCS Litter Projects Officer Rachel Bailey said: "Our seas and beaches are becoming overwhelmed with plastic litter, which not only looks horrible, but kills and injures many of our fantastic marine animals every year. Over 260 species of marine wildlife become entangled in litter or mistake it for food"
MCS has campaigned for UK and devolved governments to act to stop the growing marine litter problem. The UK and Scottish Governments as well as the main UK political parties have all committed to reducing marine rubbish*.
Rachel Bailey says this could be a turning point. "The solution is to stop litter getting into the sea in the first place and the Marine Conservation Society is delighted that government and political parties have announced their commitment to drawing up action plans to reduce marine litter."
MCS Beachwatch Big Weekend 2009 results were collected by 4,655 MCS volunteers who went to their favourite beach over the 19th and 20th September 2009 and not only removed the litter, but also recorded what they found. The haul included 7,393 plastic bags, 16,243 plastic drinks bottles, 17,712 fishing nets and 70,546 small plastic pieces in just ONE weekend. The litter filled an enormous 2,742 rubbish bags.
Among the rubbish found by MCS volunteers were a laboratory incubator, syringes, nappies, half a boomerang, a message in a bottle from ‘Sly Sally’; a joke severed finger and a fake set of vampire’s teeth, as well as a pile of spring onions.
As part of their commitment the UK Government has signaled their intention to hold a round table with Defra and other interested stakeholders in the Autumn to start discussions about tackling the problem of marine litter.
Environment Minister Huw Irranca-Davies said: "Britain’s coast lines, beaches, and seas deserve better than to be treated as a dustbin. The mountains of waste which people leave behind are a risk to the health of both people and marine wildlife.
"MCS does fantastic work cleaning up our beaches but the best thing people can do to help is not leave their rubbish there in the first place."
MCS is particularly concerned about the growing amount of plastic litter. Plastic does not biodegrade but breaks down into small pieces that will last for hundreds if not thousands of years. In parts of our oceans there are now six times more plastic particles in the water than plankton. Plastic fragments have also been shown to attract toxic chemicals onto their surfaces and marine creatures are eating these fragments. Ultimately, plastic litter may be providing a new method for these chemicals to be passed up the food chain to human consumers.
Rachel Bailey continued: "We are so grateful to all our dedicated and enthusiastic volunteers that joined us last September. They are determined to help MCS make our seas and beaches cleaner, healthier places. Beachwatch Big Weekend 2010 is over the 18th and 19th September this year and we ask everyone to register now to take part and make a real difference to our marine environment."
Public support for government action to tackle marine litter is high. Over 6,000 people signed petitions run by the Marine Conservation Society and Surfers Against Sewage calling for a government action plan to reduce marine litter.
MCS is continuing to gather public support on this issue and is running a petition calling for a marine litter action plan to be published by December 2011.
MCS is extremely grateful to SeaFrance Dover-Calais Ferries and The Co-operative for their support of MCS litter campaigns.
Robin Wilkins, Managing Director SeaFrance Limited said: "I’ve participated in 5 beach cleans since SeaFrance has been lead sponsor of the MCS Beachwatch programme. It’s been personally very satisfying to see the difference we have made over the last couple of years, but every time we turn up at Kingsdown beach, there is enough litter to keep our team busy for a good while! The disappointing thing is that it doesn’t take much to take your litter home with you and dispose of it properly."
MCS would like to say a huge thank you to our volunteers who make the Beachwatch report possible.
ENDS
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