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Surfers Against Sewage push for plastic free beaches by 2030

Words by Smiley Team

 

Grassroots community action is leading the charge as Surfers Against Sewage increases pressure to end plastic pollution on beaches by 2030.

As part of the Plastic Protest, thousands of volunteers took to the UK’s coast, rivers, streets and green spaces to clean up plastic pollution and monitor what was found. The six weeks of action wasn’t just about cleaning up – but also targeting the root cause of the plastic crisis.

Action on the ground was followed up, as individuals completed surveys on pointless plastic in the weekly shop, and wrote letters to MPs and supermarkets calling for legally binding targets to stop plastic pollution and phase out single use plastics.

Almost four and a half thousand pointless plastic packaging items were removed in the #LessPlasticPlease Survey. A third of it was wrapping fruit and veg, over 20% was on dried goods and a fifth was on chiller and freezer goods.

Shoppers told us their top plastic pet hate was packaging on hard fruit and veg, two thirds putting it in their top three. The second most hated was the plastic on soft fruit and veg (40% of participants) followed closely by the infamous plastic multi-bag of fruit or veg (chosen by 38%).

Those stats are now being put to the HQ of every supermarket in the UK, as we urge them to join our call for a more robust Environment Bill, enforcing effective plastic reduction targets.

This community voice is also being heard in parliament. This month a cross party group of MPs, responding to the calls of their constituents, proposed a new law that would see targets set for plastic pollution reduction. This week the Ocean Conservation All Party Parliamentary Group will give the next generation of ocean activists the chance to grill politicians, academics and business about what they are doing to tackle the plastic pollution crisis.

“The Plastic Protest has been an opportunity to ensure that action on the ground turns into action in parliament. And it’s working. MPs are listening to their constituents, and support for tackling plastic pollution through reduction targets is growing amongst parliamentarians from all parties." Amy Slack, SAS Head of Campaigns and Policy, says. "We are excited to be giving the next generation the stage to really challenge experts on the true solutions to plastic pollution through the Ocean Conservation APPG”

Furthermore, the UK's Plastic Free Communities network is already making waves locally; working with businesses, schools, community groups and individuals to stop the supply and demand of single-use throwaway plastic.

Through the creation of a toolkit for accredited communities, the network are taking the fight further up the chain. They are looping in with national SAS actions to target government and industry, with the aim of building on their initial foundations, empowering everyone where they live and creating a collective, national voice that can’t be ignored

“It’s been inspiring to see how plastic free accredited villages, towns and cities have been building on their initial achievements in raising awareness and reducing single-use plastic." Rachel Yates, SAS Plastic Free Communities Manager, says. "Now it’s time for the next wave of action; to ignite the network. It’s never been more important for politicians and industry to listen and act quickly on the environment crisis”

Head to the Surfers Against Sewage website to find out more about the APPG & to get involved. 

You can also find out more about Plastic Free Communities by heading to their website

 

This article aligns with the following UN SDGs

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