23 Mar 2022

Tiny particles that rub off of tyres are likely harming freshwater and coastal estuary ecosystems. The first study, published in Chemosphere last month, found that exposure to tyre particles had harmful effects on organisms from coastal estuaries, while the second, published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials, found the same for freshwater organisms. Both studies grow out of […]

22 Mar 2022

Both the Welsh Government and Defra have made announcements regarding end-of-life fishing gear. Firstly, the Welsh Government is taking action against marine litter as it becomes the first UK nation to introduce a recycling scheme for fishing gear. A press release has stated that: ‘The first collection, which took place today on Global Recycling Day […]

03 Mar 2022

Scottish Water is calling for a ban on the sale of wet wipes which contain plastic. The company says it responds to 36,000 blockages each year with the vast majority featuring wet wipes. It comes as an advertising campaign is launched urging people not to flush wipes of any kind down the toilet. Scottish Water […]

10 Feb 2022

https://www.ciwem.org/news/tackling-sewage-borne-litter Guest blog by Dr Peter Matthews, past president of CIWEM and former chair of Natural Resources Wales Government is currently calling for evidence on commonly littered and problematic plastic items. In line with its stated commitment to eliminate avoidable plastic waste by 2042 it is consulting on bans on a range of single-use plastics. It wants […]

07 Feb 2022

There are a raft of high-level global ocean conferences taking place in 2022, some which have the potential for great significance in setting the future for global ocean management. Time will tell whether this comes to pass but all are worth watching over the coming months to determine if the outcomes will be transformational or […]

01 Feb 2022

The Scottish Government is consulting on new priority actions to tackle marine litter in Scotland. Responses to the consultation will inform the final updated Marine Litter Strategy and action plan before it is published. This consultation is one of the final stages in the process of updating the Marine Litter Strategy for Scotland. A large […]