18 Nov 2025

Photo by Towfiqu Barbhuiya   A ban on the sale of wet wipes made of plastic has been signed into law in England, with the new rules coming into force in 2027 to bring the country into line with legislation across the rest of the UK. Plastic wipes don’t disintegrate when flushed down the toilet, […]

06 May 2019

Plymouth University: Biodegradable plastic bags are still capable of carrying full loads of shopping after being exposed in the natural environment for three years, a new study shows. Researchers from the University of Plymouth examined the degradation of five plastic bag materials widely available from high street retailers in the UK. They were then left […]

19 Sep 2016

Twenty years ago I organised a series of events on marine and riverine litter. Plastic cotton bud sticks were an obvious and common sign of sewage related debris (SRD). Tick – ‘good’ – because you could see which beaches were still being routinely fouled by sewage and SRD. Then there were calls for biodegradable sticks […]