Of all the sea-based sources of marine plastic pollution, the most common, and also the most harmful, is lost and discarded fishing gear, also referred to as ‘ghost gear’
The ocean. It is the original cradle of life on the planet. It flows into our dreams, surges through our imaginations, seeps into our creativity. We’ve sunk mythical civilisations beneath its waves, dreamt up gods and monsters to populate its romanticised depths, established our civilisations along its shores
When I stand in a supermarket queue and see an endless tide of plastic bags flow from the checkouts to the world beyond all I can think about is where those bags are going to end up
Astounding statistics have recently been published by WRAP showing that 8.3 billion single-use plastic bags were given out in the UK in 2013 – an increase of 10 per cent since 2010. Across Europe, some eight billion plastic bags end up as litter every year
Since plastic production began in the 1950s, plastic debris has been accumulating in our marine environment. In just one week, from bottled water alone, the US produces enough discarded bottles to circle the planet five times
Blakeney Marshes, North Norfolk, is a haven for seals, migrating and breeding birds, shell fish, marsh grasses, shrubs and other vegetation. It's a huge and vital ecosystem that also provides enormous economic benefit for the local community. A morning walk revealed an insidious invasion of these marshes. Plastic.