HOW YOU CAN HELP

1 AVOID SINGLE-USE PLASTICS

The culprits here should be familiar to everyone: carrier bags, bottles and drinking straws. Purchase a ‘bag for life’, carry a reusable bottle, and sip drinks straight from the glass.

2 GIVE UP CHEWING GUM

Chewing gum is made from synthetic rubber – a plastic – and shockingly around 100,000 tonnes of the stuff is discarded every year. Is minty-fresh breath really worth that?

3 GO ON A BEACH CLEAN

Organisations like the Marine Conservation Society conduct cleans up and down the country, removing rubbish from the beaches and raising awareness of the ocean environment.

4 RECYCLE!

We’ve all heard this one by now, but currently only a third of recyclable plastic used by UK consumers is recycled. So swot up on your local rules and get into the recycling habit!

5 GO MICROBEAD-FREE

A UK ban is coming into force in 2018 for many products containing microbeads. Be wary: it won’t cover ‘leave-on’ products such as sunscreen and make-up, so read ingredients lists.