Public spaces, beaches and our coastal waters are littered with discarded single use plastic items and very little is being done to address the causes of the problem in Guernsey.

We are calling for the States of Guernsey to ban the supply of the following single-use plastic items: plastic cutlery, plates, straws, cotton bud sticks, balloon sticks, drink stirrers, food containers made of expanded polystyrene and products made from oxo-degradable plastic and to ban the supply of single use plastic carrier bags.

The issue of single use plastic pollution is highlighted in our Marine Litter Report. The full report can be found on cleanearthtrust.org

During 2021, CET and a team of volunteers surveyed the results of 122 beach litter collections, which involved 48,924 pieces of marine litter weighing more than two tonnes. The analysis of the litter shows that 76% of the items collected were plastic and 33% of all items were single use plastic. The food and drink industry was identified as the source of the largest proportion of items collected.

Single use plastics are harming our environment:

• They are made from fossil fuels and, during their life cycle they release greenhouse gases, which contribute to global warming and climate change.
• They are commonly littered items and pollute our island, especially our marine environment. The Marine Litter Report found that 33 % of items collected on our beaches are single use plastics.
• They harm mammals, birds, and fish, which become trapped or entangled in them or mistake them for food leading to blockage in their gut. The consequences are often fatal and threatens biodiversity.
• They break down into microplastics and nanoplastics. The latter are so tiny they become airborne and are inhaled or ingested by animals and humans. The plastic getting into our bodies may carry with it harmful additives added during its manufacture. Plastic particles are now found in most organs of the human body even in the placenta of unborn babies. In laboratory tests microplastics have been shown to damage human cells but as yet it is unclear what long-term harm their presence may cause.

For more information on the effects of plastic pollution read the “Our Position” document and the Marine Litter Report at cleanearthtrust.org

Please support the petition if you would like to see the back of these polluting products in Guernsey.

Photo credit: Gary McHale