Line drawn in the sand against plastic pollution at Bigbury
Environmental messages have once again been drawn on the sand in Bigbury-on-Sea
Last updated 15th Aug 2023
A giant 'no plastic' message was drawn in the sand at Bigbury-on-Sea yesterday, as part of a community led campaign.
The message - the latest in a line of environmental messages written in the sand at Bigbury - aims to 'draw attention to what businesses and households can do to ensure less plastic ends up in the sea'.
During Cop 27 an 'sos' was written in the sand at Bigbury
The 'no plastic' message was drawn after community interest company Til the Coast is Clear - which works to remove plastic and other litter from local waterways - set up their 'whaley' art work, which is a whale formed from items of litter collected locally.
Last year an 'island assembly' was held at the famous Burgh Island. where climate groups from across the South Hams came together to share ideas and best practice.
At the time we spoke with Gary Joliffe from Til the Coast is Clear
We also spent time with Gary and joined him on board a boat to learn more about his work
It comes as Devon's Trading Standards is reminding businesses, such as takeaways, sandwich bars, care homes and retailers who supply certain single use plastic items, that a ban comes into force this October and they should 'start thinking now about alternatives and where to source them from'.
A spokesperson said: " The Government has announced a ban on a wide range of plastic items that is expected to come into effect from 1 October 2023.
"It means that from October, businesses across England will not be able to supply certain single use plastic items to the end user.
"The ban includes all single use plastic cutlery, trays, plates, bowls, and balloon sticks, as well as banning the use of certain types of polystyrene cups and food containers used to supply food which is ready to consume.
"From October, members of the public won’t be supplied these products from any business - this includes retailers, takeaways, food vendors and the hospitality industry and the ban will apply to online and over-the-counter sales.
"The ban includes the supply of items by businesses from new and existing stock and will cover all types of single-use plastic – including biodegradable, compostable, recycled and items wholly or partly made from plastic, including the coating or lining.
"Businesses who continue to supply single use plastic items after the legislation comes into effect could be given a fine.
"It is estimated that England uses 2.7 billion items of single use cutlery each year, and 721 million single use plates. Only 10% of these items are recycled.
"Certain plastic items, such as straws stirrers and cotton buds, have already been banned.
"Plastic pollution takes hundreds of years to break down and inflicts serious damage to our oceans, rivers, and land. It is also a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, from the production and manufacture of the plastic itself to the way it is disposed.
"It is expected that banning these items will have a significant impact on reducing plastic waste and littering in England. Plastic cutlery, for instance, was in the top 15 most littered items in the country by count in 2020."