Who are the 'worst offenders' when it comes to the packaging pollution emergency on our beaches?

Last month's action by Surfers Against Sewage was very successful:
Futures Forum: The Big Spring Beach Clean > a record-smashing 45,771 people showed up

And the biggest catches were from some of the biggest manufacturers: 

Coke, Pepsi and the rest Revealed: the WORST offenders when it comes to the packaging pollution emergency on our beaches. 45,000 of you turned out for the biggest Spring Beach Clean ever -- but you didn’t just tidy up our beauty spots. You carefully categorised and counted up exactly what you found. And now we’ve analysed all the data. 2019’s worst companies for packaging pollution on our beaches are: Coca Cola.  Walkers and Pepsi owner PepsiCo. Cadbury’s owner Mondelez.  McDonald’s…. and Nestlé. We’ve sent a detailed report to the government who’re considering action. Can you help us sound the alarm and demand these companies clean up their act?

It’s been an exciting rollercoaster lately in the Surfers Against Sewage office. Thank you so much for watching and sharing ‘The Creature’ our film designed to inspire more people to join the #GenerationSea movement. It worked! More than a quarter of a million people have watched ‘The Creature’, it has been shared with more than 5 million people on social media and the number of signatures on our petition to the government has nearly doubled! Behind every name is an individual with skills and ideas to build this movement and help turn the tide for ocean life. Now it’s time we took this fight to the corporations. They’re making huge profits from cheap throwaway packaging while turtles, seals, whales and birds pay the price. Share to sound the alarm: Click here to share on Facebook Click here to share on Twitter Click here for our news story to share with friends on email Right now, the government is considering new legislation that would force companies to take responsibility for the damage they do with throwaway packaging. We’ve sent them a detailed report with the evidence from the Big Beach Clean -- now we need you to help spread the word that these companies need to clean up their act. With signatures, shares, beach cleans, talking to friends and family, and now taking the fight to corporations, every day we build a stronger movement to protect the ocean. #GenerationSea. Thanks, Ben Hewitt, Director of Campaigns and Projects, Surfers Against Sewage PS: Here’s what SAS supporter Dani wrote on Facebook after watching ‘The Creature’...thank you Dani. We couldn’t agree more. "Very powerful 🙏😢 We know from beach cleans what a massive difference individuals and communities can make in the fight against plastic pollution, we just need to continue to make people aware of the power they have." Our campaigns are powered by people like you. Protect what you love by donating or visiting our shop. Thank you!

SURFERS AGAINST SEWAGE Registered Charity in England & Wales No. 1145877

Surfers Against Sewage | Environmental charity tackling plastic pollution

Here's the video:
Killed by plastic pollution: unknown animal washes up on Cornwall beach. #TheCreature - YouTube 

And here's more:
Futures Forum: What's your plastic footprint? ... “A one-use bottle is simply not a viable option for our business”
Futures Forum: Plastic pollution: the polluter pays
Futures Forum: There will soon be more plastic than fish in the sea
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Devon Maritime Forum > May newsletter:

Here's this month's newsletter from the Devon Maritime Forum - an excellent place to go for up-to-date information:

We hope you had a fantastic Easter and have been enjoying the wonderful spring weather, here is the latest newsletter from the DMF... This month's newsletter features your usual roundup of local and national stories, key marine research and reports and information on consultations you can get involved with. There is also special features on Mental Health at Sea, Invasive Species Week and Imogen Napper's research on 'biodegradable' bags. Read on to find out more... Upcoming Events May 18: Exe Spring Clean up 2019 Exe Estuary Management Partnership May 18: Plastic Free Spring Fayre North Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty JUN 4 - JUN 6: Challenge of Science Leadership Training Course Plymouth University Jun 8: South West Maritime History Society AGM South West Maritime History Society  Its Mental Health Awareness Week (13 - 19 May) and we thought we would highlight this amazing campaign by the Sailors Society. More than a quarter of seafarers suffer from depression. Long contracts at sea, thousands of miles away from families and friends – often with inconsistent or no Wi-Fi – can be incredibly isolating and challenging. Click HERE to find out more! Local News New Management Plan for the Outstanding North Devon Coast with ambitious plans to deliver improvements for places, people and wildlife, the updated Management Plan for the North Devon Coast Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty is now live more University Students Participate in Plastic Pollution Expedition to India scientists from the University of Plymouth are taking part in an all-female expedition studying plastic pollution in one of the world’s most iconic waterways more D&S IFCA Set to Close Public Shellfish Beds the D&S IFCA Byelaw & Permitting Sub-Committee has taken the decision to apply a temporary closure to public shellfish beds in both the Teign and Exe Estuary more New Drive to Cut Carbon Emissions Across Devon Devon County Council leader John Hart is pledging cash support towards a new drive to cut carbon emissions and tackle climate change more But what does 'biodegradable' mean?   Biodegradable plastic bags are still capable of carrying full loads of shopping after being exposed in the natural environment for three years! Imogen Napper of Plymouth University explains below:   “After three years, I was really amazed that any of the bags could still hold a load of shopping. For a biodegradable bag to be able to do that was the most surprising. When you see something labelled in that way, I think you automatically assume it will degrade more quickly than conventional bags. But, after three years at least, our research shows that might not be the case.” Full press release available here National & International News UN agency meets to tackle Pollution and Emissions by Ships this week is the 74th meeting of the marine environmental protection committee of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) more Mariana Trench: Deepest-ever Sub Dive Finds Plastic Bag an American explorer has found plastic waste on the seafloor while breaking the record for the deepest ever dive more Image: Reeve Joliffe Maritime UK Launch Inaugural National Awards Programme the Maritime UK Awards will be the first truly national maritime awards in the UK, organised by industry, for the benefit of industry more Scientists Test Radical Ways to Fix Earth's Climate scientists in Cambridge plan to set up a research centre to develop new ways to repair Earth's climate more Image: BBC Research and Reports Study Explores the Use of Robots and Artificial Intelligence to Understand the Deep Sea more (Plymouth University) New Study Reveals that Marine Diatoms have Evolved Novel Signalling Mechanisms for Environmental Sensing  more (Marine Biological Association) Ocean Acidification Impacts on Coastal Ecosystem Services due to Habitat Degradation more  (Emerging Topics in Life Sciences) The rise in ocean plastics evidenced from a 60-year time series more (Nature Communications)  Did You Know?   Invasive non-native species harm the environment and wildlife, are costly to the economy, and can even pose a risk to our health and way of life. Visit Natural Devon's 'Devon Invasive Species Initiative' page to find out more about invasive species in the county and surrounding areas. Consultations DEFRA Marine Strategy Part One: UK Updated Assessment and Good Environmental Status (20 June 2019) Environment Agency Draft National Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy for England  (4 July 2019) Sea-Changers marine conservation charities and not-for-profit organisations funding application    If you have any news or events that you would like included in the next edition of the DMF newsletter please get in touch

Home - Devon Maritime Forum
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Stop dumping plastic waste!

The problem with plastic waste is that it becomes plastic pollution.
Futures Forum: "The golden shores of Bali are being lost under a mountain of garbage"

Because we don't know how to handle it anymore:
Futures Forum: Why the world’s recycling system stopped working

What we should not be doing is exporting our rubbish:
Futures Forum: UK plastic pollution ending up in Poland, rather than China
Futures Forum: Waste crime is the “new narcotics” >>> UK plastic pollution ending up in Poland once again - and being sent back
Futures Forum: Saving the Mediterranean from plastic pollution ... with yellow ducks

Rather, we need to be dealing with it right here:
Futures Forum: We should be following the "proximity principle" and dealing with our own recycling waste at home

And the polluter should pay:
Futures Forum: Councils face mounting costs of dealing with plastic waste: "manufacturers should take up more of the responsibility for dealing with these unrecyclable materials"

Here is a new petition from Avaaz:

This is unbelievable -- western governments are dumping millions of tonnes of plastic waste on developing countries with paradise coastlines instead of recycling it! Now a summit in Geneva is deciding whether to stop the export of plastic trash to countries that can't process it, but the Trump administration is trying to block it. A massive show of support could make the difference -- so let’s build an urgent worldwide campaign with a single clear message: stop dumping plastic in paradise! Sign now Stop dumping plastic in paradise! Dear friends, This is unbelievable -- western governments are dumping millions of tonnes of plastic waste on developing countries instead of recycling it! We’ve all seen shocking pictures of paradise beaches choked with plastic waste. But I bet none of us knew the plastic could be from Europe, the US, and Canada! Right now, in a bid to tackle this scandal, a summit in Geneva is deciding whether to stop the export of plastic to countries that can't process it. There’s huge support for the idea, but big business and powerful governments like the Trump administration are trying to block it. Champions say a massive show of public support could make the difference, and will take our voices into the room in 48 hours -- so let’s speak out urgently with a single clear message: stop dumping plastic in paradise! Sign to stop plastic dumping Plastic is literally choking our oceans. Everywhere we look we see the carnage -- dead whales washing up with stomachs full of plastic, seabirds suffocating, turtles drowning in plastic nets. And most of the plastic enters the sea in developing countries without strong recycling systems. Which is why it’s so INSANE that rich countries are shipping their plastic waste to some of these exact countries! Now we have a chance to change it. A coalition of countries led by Norway is pushing to add plastic to a deal on hazardous waste, meaning it couldn’t be exported unless there were safeguards it would be properly processed, and giving poorer countries the right to refuse it. We can’t solve the plastic crisis engulfing our oceans while using pristine coastlines as a global plastic dump. The decision will be made in days -- so join now to tell our governments: stop dumping plastic in paradise! Sign to stop plastic dumping Our movement has fought the scourge of plastic pollution again and again. We’ve helped win bans on plastic bags, funded clean up plans on polluted rivers, and delivered a giant call to ban throwaway plastics to the UN. Now we need to rise to defend our oceans again. With hope and determination, Risalat, Rewan, Bert, Iain, Spyro, Alex, Rosa, and the rest of the Avaaz team More information: The world's recycling is in chaos. Here's what has to happen (Wired) https://www.wired.com/story/the-worlds-recycling-is-in-chaos-heres-what-has-to-happen/ Norwegian proposal to place trade controls on waste plastics gains support (Resource) https://resource.co/article/norwegian-proposal-place-trade-controls-waste-plastics-gains-support-12823 America’s new recycling crisis, explained by an expert (Vox) https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2019/4/2/18290956/recycling-crisis-china-plastic-operation-national-sword

Avaaz - Stop dumping plastic in paradise!

Avaaz - The World in Action
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