Beverage bottles are now the biggest plastic threat to waterways – report | Environment

According to a new report, plastic bottles, detritus of our water habits and disposable non-alcoholic beverages, are the most widespread form of plastic pollution in European waterways.

Food packaging, including crispy and sweet packets, was the second form of plastic pollution in rivers, followed by cigarette butts. All of these forms of waste can cause problems for wildlife and fish, and are difficult to clean once they are found in the water.

Plastic bags account for only 1% of plastic waste in freshwater, reflecting years of effort to reduce their use, particularly in the United Kingdom and many other European countries.

Consumers should be more aware of what they can do to prevent fouling of waterways: use cotton swabs with paper sticks to store wet wipes instead of rinsing them and bring their own containers to take away food, according to Plastic Rivers' report from Earthwatch Europe and Plastic Oceans UK.

"The products we buy every day contribute to the problem of ocean plastic," said Jo Ruxton, general manager of Plastic Oceans UK. "Our rejected plastic enters the rivers from waste generated by our active lifestyle and the objects we throw into the toilet. This unconventional approach has far more serious consequences and the report shows very simple ways to avoid this problem and put an end to plastic pollution. "

Although attention to the scourge of plastics has focused on the fate of the oceans, about 80% of plastic waste is flowing in from rivers. Many experts believe that river cleaning is the best way to smother the flow of existing waste in the sea, while the ultimate source of the problem – our reliance on disposable plastic products – is addressed.

The authors examined nine freshwater source pollution studies in the United Kingdom and Europe, categorizing types of macroplastics – large visible plastic pieces as opposed to invisible microplastics recorded in sources of water. water ranging from tap water to seawater – depending on their prevalence.

The report also excludes fishing gear and similar waste left by anglers, which the RSPCA has recently highlighted as a major risk to bird life, as well as livestock and industrial articles for plastic waste. consumers.

Bottles accounted for 14% of visible litter items, 12% food packaging and 9% cigarette butts. Next come single-use containers (6%), followed by cotton swabs and takeaway cups (5% and 4% respectively).

Sanitary items, including wet wipes, diapers and tampons, have also been a major source, prompting activists to warn people not to dispose of wipes, sanitary napkins or other disposable hygienic items in the toilets, where they are the main cause of mortality in the sewers. Until recently, many wipes were labeled as flushable, encouraging people to get rid of them in this way, which has become an extremely costly problem. water distribution companies.

In England alone, about 4.7 billion plastic straws, 316 million plastic shakers and 1.8 billion plastic cotton swabs are used each year, according to the government.

Last year, the European Parliament approved plans to ban single-use plastics, including straws, plastic plates and cutlery by 2021. The UK government is still considering how to put in place plans to phase out many single-use plastic products. originally scheduled for later this year, but that could slip.