Vale of Glamorgan MP, Alun Cairns, arranged one of over 1000 Plastic Litter Pick Ups last Saturday. Mr Cairns’ pick up along the Ogmore River highlighted the issues of plastic waste with many bags of mostly plastic bottles being collected along the river bank. The “Great Plastic Pick Up” was organised by Keep Britain Tidy and the Daily Mail.
Allison Ogden-Newton, Chief Executive of Keep Britain Tidy, said
“The Great Plastic Pick Up has been an amazing success having captured the imagination of so many who got involved to do something about the plague of plastic litter blighting our country.
“This campaign has been a game-changer, raising awareness about the damage litter does and the full extent of the valuable but potentially toxic plastic left strewn across our communities by people who don't care enough to look after the environment on their doorstep and beyond.”
Alun Cairns said of his event
“I was shocked at how many plastic bottles we collected in such a small area. Had we not, many would have gone out to sea on the next spring tide. Plastics at sea have been shown to be killing dolphins and choking turtles. There are over 150 million tonnes of plastic in the world’s oceans and every year one million birds and over 100,000 sea mammals die from eating and getting tangled in plastic waste.
“I urge everyone to take their waste home with them and to be more responsible with how they dispose of items like plastic bottles.
“I was also shocked by the number of plastic cotton buds that we found. The Government plans to ban the sale of plastic cotton buds in England, and I am working hard to ensure that this ban extends to Wales as well.
“I would like to thank the volunteers who came along to help on Saturday, and all the other local groups who have volunteered at similar events to reduce the impact that others’ waste is having on our beautiful environment here in the Vale.”