The Plastic Problem

Each year, 400 Million Tonnes 
of plastic is produced

40% of that is single-use-plastic we’ll only use once before it’s thrown into the bin and ends up in our landfills. Plastic breaks down in to smaller pieces called microplastics whic are all over our planet, they affect the global carbon cycle , are easily ingested by wildlife and are present in shocking levels in our own food chain.

• 100,000+ marine mammals and sea turtles die each year when they become trapped in plastic or eat it.
• 1 million seabirds are killed by eating or getting trapped in plastic each year.
• Research has shown plastic found in the stomach of sea creatures from the deepest trenches in the oceans.
• Recent research found plastic in the stomachs of every seal, dolphin & whale sampled among those that were washed up on UK shores.

How Does Plastic Enter Our Seas?

Plastic can be blown into the sea from littering, waste from bins near the water, from the beaches or blown off ships. It can also get flushed down the toilet.

Plastic gets taken by the wind driven currents in the ocean and can end up in one of the 5 subtropical gyres, if it doesn’t end up back on one of our beautiful beaches.

If plastic makes it to one of these gyres by getting trapped in these currents, it can take up to 10 years to cycle back out. That is if it doesn’t get eaten by marine life, used as their home or sink to the bottom of the ocean.

The 5 ocean gyres are enormous circular current systems

Every year, around 12 million tonnes of plastic end up in the oceans, where more of it is breaking down into harmful microplastics. In 2023 it was estimated that 171 trillion microplastic particles were drifting on the ocean surface, weighing about 2.3 million tonnes. Without serious intervention, plastic pollution is projected to rise by 4% annually. If current trends continue, we could see as much as 50 million tonnes of plastic entering oceans annually by 2050.

This is where we all come in!

Plastics of all types pollute our oceans and inland waterways and as citizens, businesses, organisations, sailing clubs, centres and ocean lovers, we need to act now to protect the seas we love to work and play on.

We can’t wait for you to join us on our mission to clean seas and inland waters. Our hopes are to have as many businesses, across varied industries, centres and sailing clubs as single-use-plastic free as possible and reducing their waste and environmental impact through positive circular behaviours.