18 Oct 2022

Two per cent of all fishing gear used worldwide ends up polluting the oceans, new research finds. To put that into perspective, the amount of longline fishing gear littering the ocean each year can circle the Earth more than 18 times.     Researchers as CSIRO, the Australian government’s scientific research centre, found that 740,000km of […]

13 Oct 2022

Environmental charity Thames21 is calling for the government to make an immediate decision on banning plastic in wet wipes in order to help tackle this sewage-based pollution ending up in the River Thames.     The charity is making the call as it launches its second Big Wet Wipe Count of the year. Wet wipes […]

04 Oct 2022

The Marine Litter Strategy for Scotland was first published in 2014 and serves to co-ordinate action on marine litter throughout the whole of Scotland. The updated Strategy will build on this positive work, with action planned on sewage-related debris, plastic pellets, and fishing and aquaculture gear.     The Scottish Government has published the refreshed […]

27 Sep 2022

Fauna & Flora International have released a new report into plastic pellets’ impact on the environment and biodiversity, exploring how and when they enter our oceans and the limited action being taken to prevent this damaging source of pollution. FFI’s new report, ‘Stemming the tide: putting an end to plastic pellet pollution’,  highlights that plastic pellet pollution […]

30 Aug 2022

The Marine Conservation Society is calling for volunteers across the UK to join them at the coast for a week of beach cleaning and litter surveying throughout the country in September, Oceanographic magazine reported. Last year, volunteers collected over five tonnes of litter, with an average of 3.85 items found for every metre of beach surveyed across the UK. “We wouldn’t […]

12 Jul 2022

Beachgoers looking to quench their thirst will be able to refill their water bottles at more than 150 “hydration stations”. Council has launched an initiative to make drinking water more accessible to people along the seafront. The refill stations have been set up across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole in a bid to reduce plastic waste. […]

11 May 2022

UK retailer Boots has vowed to stop selling all wet wipes that contain plastic fibres by the end of the year, Sky News reported. The pharmacy chain is one of the biggest sellers of wet wipes in the country, with more than 140 different brands stocked across skincare, baby, tissue and health care categories. After selling […]

31 Mar 2022

Microplastics found in human blood for first time Microplastic pollution has been detected in human blood for the first time, with scientists finding the tiny particles in almost 80% of the people tested, the Guardian has reported. The discovery shows the particles can travel around the body and may lodge in organs. The impact on […]