Can’t our beaches look this pristine?
AFTER seeing the pictures of plastic debris on our shores (Mail), this is a photograph of how a beach should look — without a plastic bottle in sight. It’s in Bucasia, Queensland, where my grandchildren (pictured) Felicity, nine, and Casey, 13, live. There is no litter on this beach, even though a large river enters the sea a short distance away. Perhaps rubbish on beaches is a northern hemisphere problem. In Britain, I believe an immense amount of litter finds its way into the sea via rivers and streams. In Australia, I have seen a lady driver stop her car to pick up a plastic carton. You wouldn’t see that happen in this country. Adults should know better and children must be taught the consequences of littering and the danger to wildlife.
BArrY LAZENBurY, Yate, glos. I HAVE a question for those who make plastic: knowing it is indestructible, why are you allowed to continue manufacturing it? During my consultancy career, I did a number of projects in manufacturing, and most of the companies made plastic containers for their products. If the selfish idiot who threw a plastic bottle into a hedge in 1997 returned to the scene of their feckless behaviour, it would still be in one piece. To some people, the world is their dustbin. But it’s not these crass individual actions that cause the plague of plastic litter. No, it’s the recycling companies who think the bulk trash we export will be dealt with correctly. Instead vast amounts are taken out by tanker and slung into the sea. The BBC’s Blue Planet series has shown us the brutal effects on marine wildlife. He thinks there is still time to take action, but I fear it could be too late. I’m afraid a plastic bottle deposit scheme is not even a drop in the ocean.
mArTYN CurTIS, Caversham, Berks.