Did you know?
The surface of the sea is covered by 81% plastic pollution but that doesn’t actually mean plastic bottles and cans are floating on the water as it’s 81% we’d be able to see it. What that actually means is that the sea is covered in 81% microplastic because although it takes 450 years for a plastic bottle to break down, we have found bottles that are 80 years old already halfway broken down. So, bottles break down really fast but for them to break into nothing takes 450 years.
On the east coast of Ireland Flossie and the beach cleaners find endless amounts of human pollution, like mens underwear and childrens toys, things that we accidentally leave behind on the beach. Whereas on the west coast it’s more ocean pollution, things that get blown in by the Atlantic and stuff fishermen leave behind. So one thing we find all the time on the west coast is coastal net which are commonly used by super trawlers
Flossie’s tips to reduce plastic pollution in our sea:
Flossie believes there needs to be more bins as there are not enough. This means bins are overflowing and this blows into our seas. This month alone Flossie and the beach cleaners collected 573.55kg of rubbish off beaches on the east coast and along canals in Kildare. So take your rubbish home if bins are overflowing.
It’s helpful to understand what is in our seas. When you know what marine life is in our seas it makes you want to protect it.
Even if you pick up rubbish one time on a beach from then on the rubbish on the beach will go unnoticed.
