“Every year 250 tonnes of mainly plastic
waste is pulled out of the River Thames.
The Port of London Authority says this issue is getting worse year on
year and is now having an impact on marine life.
“Plastic particles are found in nearly all major
brands of manufactured bottled water.
This is showing that it is everywhere.
“Plastic has become such a pervasive material
in our society. Plastic particles have
been found in seafood, beer, sea salt and even in the air.
“The latest work comes in amid growing
international attention on plastic, which has been fuelled by David
Attenborough’s Blue Planet 2 series on the dangers of plastic in our world.
“The screening for plastic involves using a
dye called Nile Red to each bottle of water.
This technique was developed recently by British Scientists. The dye sticks to free floating pieces of
plastic making them fluoresce under light.
“Doing away with buying milk in plastic
bottles and returning to the old ways of glass bottles would be a start in
helping healthy bodies.
“Glass bottles can be sterilised and used
again. When the bottle’s life has come
to an end after approximately thirty-five uses, then the glass bottle is
recycled and a brand new one is made.
“We, as an international community, need to
put pressure on our manufacturers to stop using plastics and go back to natural
products like glass, paper & cardboard.
All of which can be recycled naturally and do not risk pollution to the
environment.
“Packaging by order of Parliament needs to
be addressed now and not to wait for another ten years, when worldwide figures
run out of control.
“Nations have to come together to resolve
these problems as we are all killing ourselves with pollution!
“We can, and all must,
do our bit to save this planet for ourselves and for future generations to
come!”
Jenny Ayers
Saturday, 31st March 2018
