Thames severely polluted with plastic

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fabindia
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Thames severely polluted with plastic

Post by fabindia »

News from BBC that the Thames is very badly polluted with plastic, not just large bits but so-called micro plastic.

So sad we seem to be destroying our planet. The Thames is just an example, we find plastic all over the beaches near the coral reefs that we dive on. As a species us humans have to do something about pollution and global warming else COVID is going to look like a minor irritation.
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Mo
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Re: Thames severely polluted with plastic

Post by Mo »

Well it was obvious decades ago that we didn't know enough about what we were doing. And were ignoring what we did know.

Seeing how both the government and the general public are rushing to get 'back to normal' I can see no hope of change.
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Gwenoakes
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Re: Thames severely polluted with plastic

Post by Gwenoakes »

I personally think that the Thames is only the very tip of the iceberg, FR.
People, even if they do know about the plastic are not really putting any effort into finding alternatives.
I watched Dragons Den the other night and there was a chap there who had made straws out of pasta, seemed like a good idea to me, but he had no takers from the dragons for several reasons and I have not seen any pasta straws about either.
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albertajune
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Re: Thames severely polluted with plastic

Post by albertajune »

I don't think we have any idea how much we are polluting this planet. So many things are polluted with plastic that we are unaware of. Not too long ago we were told how some bottled waters contain microscopic particles of plastic. What else? I can't understand why so much food is covered in plastic and we have no choice whether to buy it as there is usually no other option. Why is a cucumber so tightly wrapped? No need for it.
Bad enough that people are too lazy to take rubbish home from picnics etc but industrial plastic in water and on land is getting out of hand.
I feel sorry for the future generations.
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lancashire lass
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Re: Thames severely polluted with plastic

Post by lancashire lass »

Gwenoakes wrote:People, even if they do know about the plastic are not really putting any effort into finding alternatives.


I don't think it is so much the general public not putting any effort into finding alternative but squarely down to the suppliers and manufacturers. During the lock down, I had no option but to shop locally and to my dismay, everything was prepacked in plastic. Worse, a lot of it can't be recycled. It makes more sense to make non-recyclable plastic illegal to stop it at source and that comes down to government policies - if they were serious about tackling the plastic pollution, then they can make it appear more profitable to look at alternate packaging.

Mo wrote:Seeing how both the government and the general public are rushing to get 'back to normal' I can see no hope of change.


I have noticed this too - the images of empty streets and improved air quality/reduced pollution with wildlife emerging are going to end up being a distant memory in some history books. Worse, as people ventured out to beauty spots, the amount of litter they have left behind is beyond belief ... seriously, what is wrong with these people?
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