TV spotlight on global plastic crisis was last straw
The threat posed to the world’s wildlife has been one of biggest issues of the year after David Attenborough’s Blue Planet II signalled a shift in world opinion.
Screened towards the end of 2017, the shocking scenes included albatross parents unwittingly feeding their chicks plastic and a pilot whale holding on to her dead calf. And Drowning In Plastic, shown just two months ago, provided more shocking examples of how the natural world is affected, with only 11% of the plastic we use being recycled.
Presenter Liz Bonnin visited an Indonesian river which has 2,000 tonnes of plastic flowing down it daily and where the number of fish has declined by 60% in two years.
In the wake of the programmes, major companies have been announcing initiatives aimed at cutting waste.
Around 8.5 billion plastic straws are thrown away annually and a consultation is underway about a ban that would also include stirrers and cotton buds. It is thought legislation could be in place as early as next year.
McDonald’s is taking a lead, rolling out a UK-wide replacement of plastic straws with paper ones in September.
All major supermarkets have pledged to eradicate unnecessary single-use plastic by 2025.