The first session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment, will take place in Uruguay from 28 November to 2 December 2022. The Uruguay meeting comes after the parties at the UN Environment Assembly in Nairobi in March agreed to […]
New research from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), in conjunction with partners from Austria and the Netherlands, has highlighted an unseen issue with plastic pollution: The researchers have found that the amount of plastic pollution may be under-reported, and we are suffering from multiple blind spots regarding the amount of plastic in our waterways. The researchers suspect […]
A new survey has revealed the overwhelming value the public feel the marine environment offers to their mental and physical health. However, around half of the 12,000 people surveyed also expressed concern, with over 80% of those taking part saying how crucial it is to protect the ocean. Almost 70% of people see marine litter […]
Results have been collated, analysed and now released from the 2022 MCS beach cleans. 5,261 dedicated volunteers took part in the Marine Conservation Society’s ‘Great British Beach Clean’ in 2022. Around 30 miles of beach was cleaned across the UK with litter items recorded over the ten days with volunteers helping to pick up over 141,048 pieces of […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]