The Great British Beach Clean is back for the 27th year of events across the UK

Like many things this year the Great British Beach Clean will be a little different. The Marine Conservation Society are calling on more people than ever before to become beach clean organisers, adopt a stretch of beach, gather a small group and clean it up. In line with Government guidance, they’re encouraging friends, family and ‘bubbles’ to come together in small, private groups to clean beaches, rather than the usual big beach clean events where hundreds of volunteers get involved. They’ve made organising your own beach clean as easy as…

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Waitrose gives £1 million to tackle plastic pollution

Waitrose has announced a donation of half a million pounds from carrier bag levy funds to the Commonwealth Marine Plastics Research and Innovation Challenge Fund. Focused on supporting research into the issue of plastics in the marine environment, the Fund also aims to prevent the material finding its way into the ocean. Rob Collins, Managing Director of Waitrose, said: ‘‘We’re very pleased to be an early contributor to the Fund and wish it every success in tackling these pressing issues. It feels appropriate that our support is coming from carrier…

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Marine Conservation Society and daughter launch Single Use Plastic Campaign

In a week when everyone is sitting up and taking notice of the plastic problem within our seas, UK-based charity Marine Conservation Society (MCS) has launched its latest environmental campaign – Would You Care More If It Was You? – through independent creative agency, daughter. The campaign, part of Marine’s #STOPthePlasticTide project, reveals the truth behind what our plastic is really doing to life in our seas by showing the same impact on humans. The work was created by daughter who commissioned award-winning photographer Guy Farrow to create a series…

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UK bans microbeads

A ban on the manufacture of products containing microbeads in the UK has come into force – a landmark step in the introduction of one of the world’s toughest bans on these harmful pieces of plastic. Environment Minister Thérèse Coffey has announced that manufacturers of cosmetics and personal care products will no longer be able to add tiny pieces of plastic known as ‘microbeads’ to rinse-off products such as face scrubs, toothpastes and shower gels. These damaging beads can cause serious harm to marine life, but the UK’s ban –…

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Scotland take further steps in Tackling marine litter with proposal to ban plastic cotton buds

Further to the ban on microbeads which came into force in the UK this week, Scotland look to take it a bit further with a proposal to ban the manufacture and sale of plastic cotton buds. Plans to introduce legislation to ban the manufacture and sale of plastic stemmed cotton buds have been announced by Environment Secretary Roseanna Cunningham. The proposals will be put to public consultation and would position Scotland as the first country in the UK to legislate against these environmentally damaging items. Plastic cotton buds are consistently…

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