Curbs on plastic are working to keep beaches clean – so let’s do more

IF a policy is found to be working the right thing to do is more of the same. Many feared the relatively modest efforts introduced to reduce the amount of plastic waste were paying little more than lip-service to the concerns of environmental campaigners.

But the latest report from the Marine Conservation Society following the most recent beach cleans carried out in September show that they are having an impact.

It is still far from enough. But the very fact that the crackdown on plastic straws, cotton buds and single use polythene bags is having an effect on the junk that washes up on the our beaches is proof enough that doing more would have an even greater impact.

More than 6,000 volunteers took part in the annual “Great British beach clean” earlier in the autumn, collecting a total of 5,065 kilograms of litter.

The average amount of rubbish is dropping year on year, according to the MCS. Volunteer beach cleaners which found an average of 385 items per 100-metre stretch of beach this year, down from 425 items in 2020 and 558 in 2019.

It is heartening to hear that efforts to curb plastic waste such as cotton bud sticks and single use bags are having an impact, with a particular fall in those types of litter, the charity reports.

That said, those items, and similar throw-away goods made of polystyrene, still make up the majority of rubbish collected – some 75%. Plastic or polystyrene pieces made up 112 items per 100 metres on average, followed by cigarette stubs, crisp and sweet packets and lolly sticks, plastic caps and lids and string or cord.

That’s still a lot of plastic, which is why the Marine Conservation Society is calling for more action to reduce the waste still further.

Given the extent of our throwaway society cutting back on the singleuse plastics is not an easy habit to break. From plastic knives and forks to eat a take-away meal to use-andthrow cups for tea and coffee, the convenience for hospitality businesses and customers of disposable goods is obvious.

But no one can now be in any doubt of the damage they cause. And taking a piece-by-piece approach to banning or phasing out their use simply isn’t making enough of an impact.

The consultation exercise launched by the government could potentially end with new powers under the Environment Act to bring in a deposit return scheme for bottles – something that will already be extremely familiar to anyone over 50 – as well as making companies responsible for the packaging they use and what happens to it.

Both are good ideas. There is, of course, a degree of inconvenience and potential cost with setting up both schemes. But we are all now well used to sorting our recycling and disposing properly of our waste. Getting into the habit of doing without the throwaway bits and pieces shouldn’t be that hard. Best of all, we know even the small steps taken so far are working. All we need to do is keep up the good work and make our beaches pristine again.