Plastic

Do the manifestos commit to end ocean plastics?

Posted by Louisa Casson — 22 May 2017 at 10:50am - Comments

No matter which party possible MPs belong to, or which constituency they are campaigning to represent, they all have a responsibility to help end ocean plastics.

Article tagged as: end ocean plastics, endoceanplastics, marine plastic, oceans, plastic, plastic pollution

Onboard the Beluga II

Posted by Marcela Teran — 19 May 2017 at 12:00pm - Comments

Marcela onboard the Beluga II

Last week I had the privilege to sail along the east coast of Scotland on board Greenpeace’s ship the Beluga II. This is the start of a two-month expedition documenting and investigating the impact of plastic in some of the most stunning and biodiverse areas of the UK.

Article tagged as: Beluga II, end ocean plastics, ocean plastics, oceans, plastic

An uninhabited island deep in the South Pacific falls prey to a plague - of plastic.

Posted by Louisa Casson — 16 May 2017 at 12:42pm - Comments

by-nc. Credit: Jennifer Lavers / The Guardian

One of many hundreds of crabs that now make their homes out of plastic debris washed up on Henderson Island. Photograph: Jennifer Lavers / The Guardian

It's a horror story.

Article tagged as: endoceanplastics, Henderson Island, oceans, plastic, plastic pollution

A rubbish truck of plastic in the ocean every minute - and how you can help

Posted by Fiona Nicholls — 17 November 2016 at 12:09pm - Comments

With the ebb and flow of the tides, thousands of miles of coastline around the UK testify to the devastation that plastic pollution is having on the marine environment. The oceans are at their choking point, for every mile of beach surveyed there are 159 plastic bottles found washed up.

Article tagged as: beach clean, deposit return scheme, esperanza, oceans, plastic, scotland

A deposit return scheme for Scotland?

Posted by alice.hunter — 11 November 2016 at 6:55pm - Comments

Plastic pollution on a beach in Orkney

A truckload of plastic waste enters our oceans every minute.

When I first heard this statistic I couldn’t believe it. But the evidence is all around us - from tiny microbeads in our toothpaste to images of seabirds with stomachs full of plastic. Plastic pollution is out of control.

Article tagged as: deposit return scheme, oceans, plastic, plastic pollution, scotland

New trade protections for sharks - but are they enough?

Posted by Willie — 19 October 2016 at 10:01am - Comments

Hoo-RAY! A Mobular ray leaps from the ocean after hearing about the new CITES protection for sharks.

Like it or not, around the world many species of animals are seen as tradeable commodities – for things like food, fur, fashion or medicine. Of course we know that historically hunting animals for commercial gain has often been really bad news for the animals concerned. Just stop and think about some of the most recognisable big land mammals – things like tigers, elephants and rhinos – and it’s pretty evident what trade can do to even well-known beasts, pushing many of them to the very brink of extinction.

Article tagged as: bycatch, CITES, endangered species, fishing, hammerhead, international trade, john west, manta, marine reserves, ocean sanctuaries, oceans, overfishing, plastic, pollution, purse seining, rays, sawfish, shark finning, sharks, tuna

UK Government plans to outlaw microbeads! But a limited ban won't do.

Posted by Fiona Nicholls — 7 September 2016 at 9:43am - Comments

This weekend, the Environment Secretary Andrea Leadsom announced a plan to ban microbeads from cosmetic products like face scrubs, toothpastes and shower gels. This is brilliant news for the 350,000 people who have signed our petition in collaboration with Fauna & Flora International, the Marine Conservation Society and the Environmental Investigation Agency. It shows the government is taking steps to protect our oceans from this pointless plastic pollution. BUT… (oh why is there always a ‘but’?!)

Article tagged as: DEFRA, microbeads, microbeads ban, microplastics, ocean plastics, oceans, plastic, plastic pollution

6 amazing plastic bans from around the world

Posted by Fiona Nicholls — 29 July 2016 at 5:19pm - Comments

Good news! Plastics bans across the world have been hitting the headlines lately.

From the US to India and Morocco, governing bodies are taking control of the plastic pollution problem, bringing in either complete bans on plastic, or bans on specific forms like polystyrene.

Article tagged as: marine plastic, ocean plastic, oceans, plastic, plastic bans, Plastics, plastics pledge, plastics pollution

World's oldest wild bird has a new chick - but is it a doomed messenger in an increasingly polluted ocean?

Posted by Willie — 16 February 2016 at 2:31pm - Comments

World's oldest wild bird, Laysan albatross Wisdom & chick | https://www.facebook.com/hokuleawwv

Imagine becoming a parent at the age of 65. It might seem miraculous but that is what has happened to the world’s oldest known wild bird, an Albatross living on an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

Article tagged as: albatross, fish, krill, microbeads, microplastics, Midway Atoll, oceans, pacific ocean, plastic, pollution, recycling, seabirds, squid, turtles, whales

New Year's plastic resolution: 5 simple ways to help the ocean.

Posted by Willie — 7 January 2016 at 12:22pm - Comments

The New Year’s storms have brought a lurid, unmissable reminder to UK beaches, with thousands of bright pink detergent bottles being churned up by the sea. As waves of highly-visible plastic trash hit British beaches, it’s a timely reminder of a much bigger problem: we are turning our oceans into plastic soup. It’s been estimated recently that about EIGHT MILLION TONNES of plastic ends up in the ocean each year.

Article tagged as: albatross, beach clean, carrier bags, microbeads, microplastics, oceans, plastic, plastic bags, plastic bottles, pollution, Project Ocean, recycle, Surfers Against Sewage, turtles, Vanish, whales

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