Global Efforts To Pick Up Plastic: Who's Leading The Way?

Many people are taking action to help pick up plastic and clean up the environment. Around 12,000 people took part in a Great Plastic Pick Up in Britain, and others are picking up trash on walks and in parks and on beaches. Some are also helping to chart plastic pollution by tagging items captured by drone technology and aerial photos. While beach cleans are not the sole answer to the plastic problem, they can help to raise awareness and provide a rewarding experience for volunteers.

Beach cleans are not the sole answer to the plastic problem, but they help raise awareness

Around 12,000 people took part in a Great Plastic Pick Up in Britain, organised by the Daily Mail and Keep Britain Tidy. Volunteers included scouts, book club members, martial arts enthusiasts, politicians and celebrities. The event was a three-day campaign to clear rubbish and raise awareness.

Beach cleans can also help to collect data on the litter found, which can be used to determine where it comes from and aid longer-term efforts to cut down on marine plastic pollution. The British Science Association and The Plastic Tide charity are asking the public to help chart plastic pollution by tagging items captured by drone technology and aerial photos taken of Britain’s shores. They hope to get more than 250,000 images tagged to build a tool that can measure how much marine litter there is.

While beach cleans are a helpful service to our fellow humans, they are only fixing a symptom of a larger problem. The solution lies further upstream: to address plastic pollution, those who produce plastics need to pay for the damage it causes, and the world will also have to make less of it.

Volunteers get a rewarding experience from helping to take positive action

Picking up litter is a powerful tool in the battle to beat plastic pollution. One person says they try to pick up trash when they go for walks around their apartment complex, and especially when in parks or on beaches. They say it can be fun and meditative.

However, some people argue that picking up litter is a pointless exercise. One paper estimated that the average person consumes five grams of plastic every week, mostly from water. Significant quantities of plastic have also been found in beer, salt, shellfish and other human foods. While picking up plastic waste is a genuinely helpful service, it is only fixing a symptom of a larger problem.

Professor Richard Thompson, professor of marine biology at the University of Plymouth, says that although beach cleans are not the sole answer to the plastic problem, he is in favour of them. He says that new volunteers join beach cleans all the time, and that they help to raise awareness more broadly.

Clean-up campaigns collect data on the litter found to determine where it comes from and aid longer-term efforts to cut down on marine plastic pollution

Clean-up campaigns are an important way to collect data on the litter found, which can help determine where it comes from and aid longer-term efforts to cut down on marine plastic pollution. For example, the British Science Association and The Plastic Tide charity have asked the public to help chart plastic pollution by tagging items captured by drone technology and aerial photos taken of Britain's shores. They hope to get more than 250,000 images tagged to build a tool that can measure how much marine litter there is.

Around 12,000 men, women and children took part in a nationwide Great Plastic Pick Up during a weekend in early May, cleaning Britain's streets, green spaces and beaches. Volunteers included young scouts, book club members, martial arts enthusiasts, politicians and celebrities.

Professor Richard Thompson, professor of marine biology at the University of Plymouth, says that although beach cleans are not the sole answer to the plastic problem, he is in favour of them. “My experience is that new volunteers join beach cleans all the time. This is important because they help to raise awareness more broadly. Our research at the University of Plymouth has shown volunteers also get a rewarding experience from helping to take positive action,” he says.

However, some argue that picking up plastic is only fixing a symptom of a larger problem. One paper estimated that the average person consumes five grams of plastic every week—mostly from water. About 95% of the tap water in the United States is contaminated. Microplastics are also widely found in beer, salt, shellfish, and other human foods.

The Great Plastic Pick Up: 12,000 volunteers cleaned Britain's streets, green spaces and beaches

Armed with bags, gloves, litter pickers and a strong sense of purpose, around 12,000 men, women and children got to work cleaning Britain’s streets, green spaces and beaches as part of a nationwide Great Plastic Pick Up during a weekend in early May. The volunteers included young scouts, book club members, martial arts enthusiasts, politicians and celebrities - all giving their time to clear rubbish and raise awareness as part of the three-day campaign organized by the Daily Mail newspaper and environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy.

The Great Plastic Pick Up is an excellent example of how people are taking it upon themselves to help tackle the plastic problem. While beach cleans are not the sole answer to the issue of plastic pollution, they are an important way to raise awareness and encourage people to take positive action. They can also be a fun and meditative activity, and a rewarding experience for those who take part.

One paper estimated that the average person consumes five grams of plastic every week, mostly from water. Significant quantities of plastic have also been found in beer, salt, shellfish, and other common human foods. This means that while picking up plastic waste is a genuinely helpful service, it is only fixing a symptom of a larger problem. To truly address plastic pollution, those who produce plastics need to pay for the damage it causes, and the world will also have to make less plastic.

The British Science Association and The Plastic Tide charity are also encouraging the public to help chart plastic pollution by tagging items captured by drone technology and aerial photos taken of Britain’s shores. They hope to get more than 250,000 images tagged to build a tool that can measure how much marine litter there is.

Picking up plastic waste along the way is a genuinely helpful service to our fellow humans

Around 12,000 people in Britain took part in a nationwide Great Plastic Pick Up during a weekend in May, cleaning streets, green spaces and beaches. Volunteers included scouts, book club members, martial arts enthusiasts, politicians and celebrities. They gave their time to clear rubbish and raise awareness as part of a three-day campaign organised by the Daily Mail and environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy.

Picking up plastic waste can also be a fun and meditative activity. One person said they try to pick up trash when they go for walks around their apartment complex, especially in parks or on beaches. They added that it can be rewarding to take pride in the places we call home and make them better.

Cleanup campaigns can also collect data on the litter found to determine where it comes from, aiding longer-term efforts to cut down on marine plastic pollution. For example, the British Science Association and The Plastic Tide charity are asking the public to help chart plastic pollution by tagging items captured by drone technology and aerial photos of Britain's shores. They hope to get more than 250,000 images tagged to build a tool that can measure how much marine litter there is.

While picking up plastic waste is helpful, it is only fixing a symptom of a larger problem. To address plastic pollution, those who produce plastics need to pay for the damage it causes, and the world will also have to make less of it.

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