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The amount of plastic littering Britain’s beautiful beaches
is at its highest level since records began, according to
the Marine Conservation Society’s (MCS) Beachwatch 2007 survey
report published recently.
The MCS Beachwatch 2007 Report shows that plastic
litter on UK beaches has increased by a staggering 126% since
the annual survey began in 1994. Plastic debris now accounts
for over 58% of all litter found on Britain’s beaches, including
plastic bags and plastic drinks bottles. Plastic-based cigarette
butts are also amongst the most frequently encountered litter
items.
Sadly, the tide of plastic litter is not just an unsightly
blight on the UK's coastline. Over 170 species of marine wildlife
- including seabirds, turtles and whales - have been recorded
mistaking marine litter for food - resulting in starvation,
poisoning and fatal stomach blockages. In addition, plastic
packaging and discarded fishing nets injure, entangle and
drown some of Britain’s favourite marine wildlife, including
seals and dolphins.
“The results are truly shocking. In the last 10 years, plastic
drinks bottles have increased by 67%, plastic bags by 54%
and cigarette butts by 44%. Plastics are of particular concern
as they could persist in the marine environment for centuries
with fatal consequences for marine wildlife” - said Emma Snowden,
MCS Litter Projects Coordinator,
“The Marine Conservation Society’s Beachwatch volunteers
remove tons of litter from beaches - and, using the survey
data they collect, MCS is raising awareness about this serious
situation and the solutions. The plastic litter problem needs
to be tackled at all levels - from grassroots through to government
- while industry and retail sectors must acknowledge the need
to reduce plastic bag use and packaging."
The MCS Beachwatch 2007 Report is based on data collected
by almost 4,000 volunteers on 354 UK beaches surveyed in mid-September
2007. Volunteers surveyed 168.5km of coast and removed over
346,000 litter items.
This latest report identifies four key sources of beach litter
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- recreational & beach visitors (35.3%)
- fishing litter (13.7%)
- sewage-related debris/sanitary waste (6.1%) - and
- shipping litter (1.8%).
The average density of UK beach litter in the MCS Beachwatch
2007 survey was 2,054 items of litter per kilometre - an average
of two items for every metre stretch of beach. While MCS lobbies
for a national strategy to tackle this extraordinary volume
of rubbish washing up on beaches, it also encourages individual
responsibility for litter disposal.
The Marine Conservation Society works in cooperation with
the Project AWARE Foundation to organise underwater cleanup
events. The data from MCS Beachwatch surveys also contributes
to the International Coastal Cleanup - involving over 70 countries
worldwide - organised by the Ocean Conservancy in the United
States.
To download a copy of the summary report - Click
Here
To download a summary regional map - Click
Here
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