Essex charity urges public to properly dispose of litter to protect animals and the environment
This comes as many are expected to head to beaches and parks to enjoy the weather over the bank holiday
As we all plan how to make the most of the forecasted good weather over a long Easter weekend, a local charity has urged people to dispose of their litter in an environmentally conscious way.
The Essex Wildlife Trust says rubbish left on beaches and in the woods can be very dangerous to local animals.
Danielle Carbott works for the trust and is asking people to use nearby bins or take their rubbish home with them rather than just leave it out: "If litter is left discarded on our woodland floors, essential light that our woodland flowers need will actually be blocked.
"Also, often, if it's left there for a long period of time, especially with single use plastics, they begin to degrade and can contaminate the soils of our woodlands, potentially impacting the future growth of our native woodland flowers and other species as well."
As well as plants, animals are also affected by littering: "March and April are the months where Dormice begin to emerge from hibernation, and these undeniably cute creatures live in woodlands and hedgerows and forage for food, like blackberries and hazelnuts...
"Litter, particularly plastic or dog poo bags that get stuck in trees, can be really dangerous to them, and they're already very vulnerable, so ensuring their habitat is safe is of the utmost importance."
Danielle was keen to point out rubbish also negatively impacts creatures seen on our coasts: "Litter on our coasts can often be mistaken for food and therefore ingested.
"Discarded bottles and cans are a real pain because they can cause injury through either entrapment or skin punctures, and again, single use plastics can degrade right down into microplastics, which end up polluting our oceans, polluting our oceans... it's so important we keep these places as litter free as possible."
She said it was simple to protect the environment and local animals: "If you're heading out this weekend and you're thinking about bringing a picnic or a snack with you, if you have litter at the end of it, just discard it in a local bin.
"It's the best thing you can do because these places can then protected."