CALLS have been made for increased monitoring as the amount of litter on Scots beaches soared by a 'staggering' 42%.

Results of annual beach cleans shows that the number of wet wipes recovered alone rose by two-and-a-half times.

The Marine Conservation Society-organised clean-ups found nearly 500 pieces of litter per 100m this year compared to 346 in 2021.

The Herald:

Now environmentalists are calling for the Scottish Government to ban plastic in single-use wet wipes as soon as possible.

They are also calling for increased monitoring of Combined Sewage Overflows (CSOs) to stop them flowing into rivers and the seas.

It comes as Scottish islanders were given the chance to try out a new recycling initiative ahead of the introduction of a nationwide deposit return scheme (DRS).

Orkney residents will be invited to place any single-use drinks containers into reverse vending machines for recycling as part of the Return and Recycle Orkney initiative which launches on Friday.

 

The machines will then generate a 5p donation to charity for every bottle or can returned.

Delivered by Zero Waste Scotland and funded by the Scottish Government, Return and Recycle Orkney will run until August next year.

In Scotland, 8.4 miles of beach were cleared and surveyed by over 1,200 volunteers, who filled over 400 bags of litter, weighing nearly 290 stones.

The society said that all pollution cleared from beaches protects the ocean and vulnerable wildlife which can ingest or become entangled in litter and debris.

Data in previous years helped result in the introduction of the carrier bag charge, bans on certain single-use items, and the commitment to the establishment of a Deposit Return Scheme in Scotland next year.

A society spokesman said: "The main reason behind this increase is not clear, but what stands out is a serious issue with unsustainable consumption and pollution ending up in the marine environment. While environmental charities await the introduction of the Scottish Government’s Circular Economy Bill, these results demonstrate an urgent need to move away from a single-use society to one which invests in and promotes reuse, refill and repair across the supply chain, from manufacturer to consumer.

The Herald:

Over 7,000 wet wipes were recorded by volunteers, concentrated on beaches in Scotland’s central belt, resulting in an increase of 150% from 2021. This means that an average of 63 wet wipes were recorded for every 100 metres of Scottish beach surveyed. The society said that since 2015, wet wipes have been an increasing trend in Scotland, with annual fluctuations. Comparing 2015 to 2021, wet wipes have risen almost fourfold (372%).

The society wants the Scottish Government to set progressive reduction targets for spills from CSOs by the end of 2022 and install electronic monitoring on all overflows by 2024, with data published on an annual basis as a minimum. Catherine Gemmell, Scotland conservation officer at the Marine Conservation Society said, “No one wants to go to a beach and find themselves surrounded by washed-up wet wipes. We have been talking about this for far too long, and our beaches and wildlife are suffering as a result. “Bold action needs to be taken now. We need Scottish Government to ban plastic in single-use wet wipes and invest in the sewage network to stop spills from sewer overflows polluting our seas.”

Scotland’s deposit return scheme – the first such initiative to be introduced by a UK nation – is expected to be launched next August, when the trial ends, and will see customers paying a deposit of 20p when they purchase a drink in a single-use container.

The deposit will then be paid back when the empty bottle or can is returned.

Orkney’s trial scheme will not require consumers to pay a deposit on drinks containers, but it is hoped it will provide insight into how the initiative can be rolled out to rural and island communities.

A Scottish Government spokesman said: “The invaluable data that the Marine Conservation Society provides helps us to prioritise actions to tackle marine litter. 

“This year, Scotland became the first part of the UK to implement a ban on some of the most problematic single-use plastic products. But it’s clear more needs to be done, and in particular we recognise that plastic wet wipes are a major part of pollution in our seas and on beaches.

“We therefore strongly support calls to ban wipes that contain plastic and are actively encouraging the UK Government and other administrations to work with us to bring forward a UK-wide ban and ensure that those remaining on the market are safe for our environment.

“We will continue to work in collaboration with our partners to reduce many sources of marine plastic pollution and also to support the removal of rubbish from our seas and coastline.”