Beach litter
Monday 29 March 2010
Waste found on Britain's beaches is 'unacceptably high'. How does it affect you and the area you live in?
Britain's beaches – what a waste
Are you looking forward to going to the beach this summer? Before you put your swimmers on it might be worth checking out what state your nearest beach is in.
Recent research carried out by volunteers at the Marine Conservation Society has shown that the levels of waste found on British beaches is 'unacceptably high'. The amount of plastic found washed up on the shore has doubled since 1994. Some volunteers even complained of seeing at least one piece of litter for every step they took.
Check out this video investigating the cleanliness of Britain's beaches.
Lost and found
The volunteers visited 400 of the UK's beaches. This is a list of what they found:-
- 70,564 small plastic pieces
- 17,712 fishing nets
- 16,243 plastic drinks bottles
- 7,393 plastic bags
- 7,025 pieces of cutlery, trays, straws and cups
- Approximately 13,000 cotton buds
The majority of the litter found had been dumped by visitors. However, some came from fishing boats and overflowing sewage pipes. Some of the litter even made its way from other countries. Check out this article for more information on pollution.
The consequences
Man-made items like the ones found in the research can cause big problems for marine life and for us humans too.
Wildlife
Most types of litter never fully bio-degrades, but only breaks up into smaller pieces. Scientists believe that these smaller pieces of plastic release toxic chemicals into the water and can endanger marine wildlife.
Birds, turtles, fish and marine mammals can often mistake litter for food and many are thought to die each year as a result of eating this litter. Visit this article about endangered species.
The creatures' stomachs become so full of indigestible plastic that they eventually starve. More than a third of stranded leatherback turtles are found with plastic in their stomachs.
Other creatures like seals and birds are also killed after becoming tangled up in netting bags and ropes that have been chucked in the water.
Litter and humans
Animals aren't the only species affected by litter. Humans can become ill if they eat uncooked fish that has eaten contaminated plastic.
Also, bathing in contaminated water at dirty beaches can cause contraction of diseases like gastroenteritis. Young people aged between 15 and 24 have the most chance of contamination because studies show they spend the most time in the water.
To ensure you don't get ill it is a good idea to only swim at beaches that are awarded with the Blue Flag. The Blue Flag is awarded for water quality and overall beach safety. Find a beach near you.
How can you help?
Here are a few things you can do to make sure your beach doesn't go down the drain:-
- Throw your rubbish in the bin! Results found that the public was responsible for half of the rubbish on UK beaches.
- Re-use your carrier bag. More than 13 billion free carrier bags are handed out each year in the UK. Many of them end up at the beach.
- Don't flush anything down the toilet that doesn't bio-degrade. Toiletries like cotton buds are often found in the sea.
