Keep it clean

New controls on single-use plastics signal the start of enforceable protection for our oceans and their precious marine life. Formalised after 13 months of consultation, the Environmental Protection (Plastic Straws, Cotton Buds and Stirrers) (England) Regulations 2020 officially confirmed the UK’s wish to stem the flow of waste and promote the use of recyclable materials.
The legislation was prompted largely by the wave of public reaction to David Attenborough’s Blue Planet II documentaries, aired in late 2017. At the time, Environment Secretary Michael Gove described being ‘haunted’ by the image of marine life harmed by plastic, saying: “These items are often used for just a few minutes but take hundreds of years to break down, ending up in our seas and oceans and harming precious marine life.” According to research by supermarket chain Waitrose a year later, an incredible 88 per cent of people who watched the series had changed their behaviour as a result.

Beach cleans

Fast-forward to today, and the need for this new regulation remains all too apparent. Beach cleans are a regular fixture on the calendar of business and organisations along the East Coast: brewer Adnams has been sprucing up the sands at Southwold at least three times a year since 2003, collecting data on the items found along a 100m stretch of the coastline for the Marine Conservation Society’s Beach Watch Survey, which records the type and quantity of litter found across the UK. Similar initiatives take place at many other prime coastal locations in Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex and Kent – search for your nearest at 
www.mcsuk.org.

Brightlingsea takes the lead

The evidence from these beach clean events, however, shows that many of the items collected follow a short route from usefulness to waste. It’s a problem that surfaced at Brightlingsea Harbour, for example, during routine dredging operations.
“As our dredger worked its way down to 2m below surface level, it didn’t come across the usual pieces of history,” says Jill Herman, Office & Finance Manager, “but instead a wealth of crabbing lines from years gone by and a number of other plastic items discarded into the sea.”
Brightlingsea Harbour Commissioners have pledged to mark the beginning and end of each busy season with a beach clean at the locations frequented by their foot ferry – Point Clear, East Mersea and Brightlingsea. “It’s time to turn the tide on plastic!” Jill says: “Times are changing and so are we. We want to keep our customers, the visitors, sea workers, animals and sea life happy and healthy. We are determined to ‘turn the tide on plastic’ during our litter picks, but also in what goes on in the Harbour. “Crabbing, for example, is a popular activity in the Harbour and we very much want it to continue, but we can’t let the fun we have end up causing problems for other users: a seagull with plastic line wrapped around its feet, propellers with line wound tight around the drive leading to costly repairs, or people launching on the hard getting snagged around their legs. It’s just not fair. “So, when you come crabbing, we will lend you a tin bucket, and if you have plastic line we will replace it with a biodegradable alternative which is robust enough for your use but will not be a danger or snag to anyone. We will also have a large bin so you can get rid of the plastic and show the world the way – have fun while looking after the planet.”