ANK on #Oceanplastic

I don't know exactly HOW many petitions I have signed over the past few years for governments to implement plastic recycling schemes, for CEOs of mega-polluters (yes - all you drinks companies who still favour disposable plastic bottles!) to support said recycle schemes. I talk to friends and strangers alike, I try to educate people and I even pick up plastic waste from the sea and the beaches around where I live. My little contribution to tackling a global problem.
And there is a lot of plastic to be picked up! A lot of it comes from the shipping, fishing, and yachting industry: Fragments of nets, plastic ropes, and the likes.
Unfortunately, a lot of people seem to find it acceptable, to discard of their rubbish (take away containers, plastic bottles, plastic bags, cans, and bottles) on a beach!
I live in a beautiful part of the world, and people come and visit for their holidays - because it is gorgeous, it is serene, and it widely unspoilt.
I cannot imagine, how people can be so calloused and discard of their waste so irresponsibly. And no - it is not 'gone with the wind' - many items I find are deliberately wedged somewhere between rocks, left in a carrier bag, weighed down with a rock, or are just simply 'left to rot', dropped on the spot, never to be considered again.

The implications are manifold: Plastic waste is harmful to aquatic life - animals ingest the stuff, get entangled in disused nets, ropes or fishing lines and suffer greatly.
Plastic waste litters beaches, estuaries and even the sea floor.
Being a scuba diver and open water swimmer, I know how much plastic waste there is floating around.

On a positive note:
The 5p charge for single-use plastic bags, which came into UK-wide force on the 5th of October 2015 saw an over 70% reduction in litter caused by plastic carrier bags.
A fantastic step in the right direction, but still a lot is left to be done.

The UK is still lacking a recycle scheme for plastic bottles, littering still seems to be socially acceptable, and little is done in the way of weaning the nation off disposable plastic like wrappers, food-packaging, and other short-lived, single-use plastic items - like straws.

Having done research into biodegradable plastics myself (really degradable - not just 'fall to tiny bits' plastic) I know, that technology and materials exist, to substitute non-degradable littering materials with biodegradable materials, which can easily applied in the packaging industry #polyhydroxyalkanoates, #bioplastic, #Biopol

Meanwhile keep to the motto:
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Here are the links to a few petitions and pledges, you could sign, if you like to help reduce or stop #Oceanplastic altogether. But there are many more out there - just google :-)

<38Degrees - Bottle deposit scheme>
<Greenpeace UK Plastic Pledge>
<Marine Conservation Society - Plastic Challenge>

Or get hands on by participating in a local beach cleanup.

And please discard of your waste responsibly.

P.S.
* Plastic waste is not only causing problems in the oceans.
* It is not only plastic waste, that causes problems in the oceans.