Decades of rubbish on Scottish beaches
Washed up pre-decimalisation rubbish
Rubbish dumped in coastal landfill sites decades ago is washing up on Scotland’s beaches, campaigners have warned.
A 50-year-old plastic bottle, which once contained floor cleaner, was discovered on a beach in Orkney last week.
The bottle, bearing an offer giving 9d off the usual price, was found on Orkney by Martin Gray, 53, a naturalist guide and conservationist, who said stains on it show it has been buried in landfill.
He said: “It’s clearly from before decimalisation in 1971, it could be from the 1960s.
“It’s still in reasonable condition, legible and with some original colour.
“There is no marine growth but importantly it’s a bit rust stained. This is a sign of having been buried in proximity to ferrous metals, and stained by them.” Martin said that being buried can keep some plastics in “stasis”.
He said: “It doesn’t get brittle. The plastic does not decay, it’s just preserved. “Through forces of nature, such as rising sea levels, landfills or things that were dumped in a spot that was far from the sea are not anymore, and this old reservoir of plastics is being released.”
Experts fear thousands of landfill sites around the UK risk being compromised by flooding and coastal erosion, leaving their toxic contents free to enter rivers. Other decades-old rubbish found include a washing-up liquid bottle sold before decimalisation, a 25-year-old crisp packet, fishing gear from the ’80s and 40-year-old Smarties sweet lids.
But the vast majority of plastic going into the sea remains undetected as it degrades so much it can never be identified. It will never break down completely and instead becomes microscopic pieces which are ingested by marine animals. A 2016 study by Queen Mary University of London found 1,000 landfill sites on the coast of England and Wales are at increasing risk of being breached by erosion. Campaigners say the same problem exists here.
The Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) says it monitors 255 closed landfill sites, but has no data on sites closed before 1996, which are the responsibility of local councils.
Official figures show Scotland now has 304 closed landfill sites, some dating from the ’70s and ’80s, many in coastal areas. Friends Of The Earth (FOE) Scotland say consequences range from the immediate, such as rubbish on our beaches, to farreaching and less understood long-term impacts on habitats, food chains and human health.
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Bottle has rust stains and that suggests it had been buried
Dr Richard Dixon, director of FOE Scotland, said: “Discarded materials can be an immediate danger to marine wildlife or it can break down into tiny microplastics that are eaten by animals.
“Many pieces of plastic might be labelled as ‘single-use’ but when they remain in our environment for decades, this seems like a cruel joke,” added Dr Dixon.
The Sunday Post contacted campaigners and beachcombers from across Scotland, who