World Oceans Day – help turn the tide of plastic pollution
Friends of the Earth is also encouraging people to join the thousands who are taking part in #PlasticFreeFriday. Read our hints, tips and information to help people avoid plastic
- Up to 12m tonnes of plastic ends up in the sea each year, weighing the same as about 60,000 fully-grown blue whales. This includes tiny bits of plastic from cosmetics, bathroom products and tyres.
- Each cycle of a washing machine could release more than 700,000 microscopic plastic fibres into the environment.
- 700 or so marine species have been found entangled in plastic.
Friends of the Earth plastic campaigner Julian Kirby said:
“Urgent measures are needed to turn the tide of plastic pollution that’s flowing into our seas and harming our wildlife.
“With a few simple choices we can all make a difference by avoiding plastic and switching to less harmful alternatives instead.
“Government and industry have started to wake up to the plastic problem – but the steps taken so far are just drops in the ocean compared to the problem we face.
“Ultimately, to get ourselves out of this pollution crisis we need a government action plan to phase-out all but the most essential plastics.”
Read Friends of the Earth campaigner Rosie Cotgreave’s five simple tips for avoiding plastic
Over 70,000 people have so far signed a Friends of the Earth petition demanding new plans to dramatically reduce the plastic pouring into our oceans