Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
All washed up on the sands of time
Plastic junk from 1980s found on beach
RUBBISH from the 1970s and 80s has been found on our beaches, showing the devastating impact plastic pollution has on the ocean.
The haul includes a 1980s Persil measuring cup, a Marks & Spencer carrier bag celebrating the store’s 1984 centenary and a catering lid from ferry firm Sealink, which ceased operating that same year.
Wildlife photographer Jason Alexander, 47, decided to document the junk he picked up while walking on Suffolk’s coastline. He has also amassed a collection of 100 Smarties lids, dating from the mid-1970s to late 1980s, as well as an early 1980s orange Tango can.
Other finds include a salted peanuts pack with a best before date of February 1983, a St Ivel margarine tub and various yoghurt pots from about the same time.
Packaging expert Professor Alaster Yoxall, from Sheffield Hallam University, helped us to date the products found by Jason. He said: “The Tango can is consistent with their branding used in the 1980s, as is the St Ivel tub.”
Ipswich-based Jason, who has shared his finds on Instagram under the handle Rubbish Walks, found the junk on beaches in Bawdsey, Dunwich, Felixstowe and Kessingland.
He said: “Despite collecting tonnes of waste in the past four years, it still shocks me when I find plastic that’s been knocking around for decades.” Louise Edge, of Greenpeace UK, called on the plastics industry to cut the amount of waste it produces. She said: “This old plastic packaging may have been floating in our seas for decades, posing a threat to marine life that might have swallowed it or got stuck in it.
“Of the billions of tonnes of plastic waste generated by humanity since the 1950s, the vast majority has ended up in landfills and the environment.”
Have you found an item washed up on the beach older than these? Contact us at the email address below.