Garbage Pollution

Garbage pollution is worse in summer because of the influx of tourists on the south east coast, welcome though they are for the economy.

Garbage comes both from seaward, people throwing rubbish overboard, and landward, people dropping their rubbish on beaches and cliff tops, instead of putting it in bins or taking it home.

Some of it is dangerous for us - glass, nails, splintering bits of wood, used hypodermic syringes. The worst items, not only for seabirds but for fish and sea mammals, are netting discarded by fishing boats and plastic. The worst items, not only for seabirds, but for fish and sea mammals, are netting discarded by fishing boats and - PLASTIC. Under British law for some years putting the tiniest bit of plastic into the sea has been banned. Even a plastic drinking straw or small plastic attachment, e.g. to a drinking cup. If you leave plastic bags and bits on beaches, or throw them in the sea, birds, especially eat them. Their stomachs feel full; they do not eat and so die of starvation. Birds have been found in this state on the South East coast beaches. Or stomachs full of plastic cause them to lose buoyancy; if they go into the sea, they drown.

Image reproduced by courtesy of the Maritime & Coastguard Agency

If a bird gets a plastic beer can holder over its beak (young birds are very nosey) it starves to death.

If a young fish swims into one, it cannot get the ring off. As it grows to adulthood, the ring cuts into its body and eventually kills it, - it is killed by its own growth.

If you throw plastic and other rubbish in to the sea, it is going to harm some creatures; if you leave it on the beach, incoming tides will suck it into the sea with some lethal results.

Put rubbish safely away in bins and cut up those plastic rings!