The presence of plastic in the oceans and now also in our inland waterways is a major concern, especially as it accumulates in the food chain. Our marine
biologists see the affect that microplastics have on our marine and inland waterways as they sift through water samples. Even the tiniest shrimp does
not escape the rising tide of plastic pollution and tiny particles of plastic can be seen when inspected under a microscope.
Prevention should be a priority
Each year, 8 million tonnes of plastic enter our oceans. Plastic particles are found on the sea surface, on shorelines and on the sea bed, and can be found
even in the remotest areas of the globe. Once microplastics are in the environment they are impossible to get rid of, so preventing the release of
plastics into our waterways and oceans should be a matter of priority. If we continue polluting our oceans with plastic at this rate, by 2050 the oceans
will contain more plastic – by weight – than fish.
The latest initiative
There does appear to be some movement in the UK, and the Government has started to take action with a ban on supermarket plastic bags and the announcement to bring forward legislation to ban the sale and manufacture of microplastics in the UK. The latest initiative, announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 13th March is a consultation on a plastics tax for single use plastics. We can only hope that action comes as a result of these initiatives.
The message
Global Recycling Day’s message is that we need to think about our resources and try to reuse and recycle as much as possible. According to data,
91% of plastic is not currently recycled. That is something we need to change, and as an organisation Thomson Ecology is fully behind the message that
we need to unite together to bring about global change. Plastic pollution is one of the greatest threats to our global environment and we must take
action now before it is too late.
