Welsh Rotary members join forces to reduce plastic pollution in the seas

Rotary members in Wales have pledged to work together to turn the tide on plastic.

They have been inspired following the ‘Ocean Summit’ which was held in Cardiff earlier this summer.

According to the environmental charity, Greenpeace, an estimated 12.7 million tonnes of plastic – everything from plastic bottles and bags, to microbeads, ends up in our oceans each year.

Now, as part of a concerted effort by the two key Rotary districts in the Principality, Welsh Rotary members are joining forces to develop a project which will tackle the issue.

Some of the great industrial rivers of South Wales, the Taf, the Ely, Cynon and Rhondda empty into the Cardiff Bay lagoon and join the ocean through a very narrow point in the barrage.

Elsewhere in Wales, agricultural plastic is not effectively recycled and, along with other waste, this reaches the ocean via rivers – something which happens in over 80% of all cases of marine pollution worldwide.

Why do we put a product which is designed to be consumed within days in plastic bottles and packaging which lasts forever?”

“There is something we can all do here, in addition to simply making the right choice, and that’s not to buy single-use plastic products,” explained Steve Jenkins, from Rotary Cardiff Bay.

So, inspired by initiatives already started in North Wales, Rotary members across the Principality have met online to develop a strategy where Rotary clubs in Wales can co-ordinate with key partners to reduce plastic pollution.

Key partners include the Welsh Government, Keep Wales Tidy, Wales Coastal Path, Natural Resources Wales and the Environmental Sustainability Rotarian Action Group.

HRH Prince Charles, in launching the Cardiff Ocean Summit in June via video link noted: “These Ocean Summits are a vital part of the collaborative steps that are being taken to tackle the ubiquitous pollution of the ocean with plastic debris as well as the broader threats to the ocean’s health.”

https://twitter.com/SkyOceanRescue/status/1003925949887537152?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1003925949887537152&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fnews.sky.com%2Fstory%2Flive-sky-leads-major-ocean-summit-11395340

The highlight of the day was having the Welsh Government, the International Olympic Committee, and World Sailing all committing to the UN Environment’s #CleanSeas Pledge. Earlier, Indian Prime Minister Modhi signed the same pledge.

An impressive list of academics, philanthropists, sports people, politicians, educationalists and, perhaps most crucially, business leaders from Sky, Volvo, Iceland, Vestas and many others set out a clear need for creative thinking and innovation to turn the tide on plastic.

“Why do we put a product which is designed to be consumed within days in plastic bottles and packaging which lasts forever?” asked Emily Penn, Sky Ocean Rescue Ambassador.

Emily is an active yachtswoman who has discovered that her body now contains 28 of the 35 banned toxins in the UK, simply because all this plastic is now in the food chain.

This has happened in just a couple of decades and her body is no different to ours.

For more info please visit: http://cleanseas.org/