Surfers Against Sewage want Britons out in force for protests along coastlines and inland waterways.
The push comes just weeks before the Global Plastics Treaty negotiations restart in Geneva, Switzerland. Bringing together representatives of countries from across the world, the talks aim to agree a legally binding treaty to tackle plastic pollution at source and protect vulnerable blue spaces, but have so far failed to yield any significant results.
In a bid to apply pressure to the UK leadership, activist events will be held nationwide on Saturday 19th July. This will involve protests alongside beach cleanups, with the largest set to take place in Penzance, the country’s first ever plastic-free community, where a human chain involving hundreds of people aim to reflect the local resistance to plastic.
Gatherings will not be confined to coastal areas, either, with number of major city centres set for significant marches. Many grassroots events are also planned for the week preceding The People Vs Plastic National Day of Action. Trash Mobs are heading to schools, taking a lead on community cleans, with data gathered helping Surfers Against Sewage to better map the crisis.
‘Penzance was the first ever SAS Plastic Free Community,’ said Rachel Yates, Senior Communities Manager and Plastic free Communities lead at Surfers Against Sewage. ‘This weekend, we are standing up to the polluters and joining hands in a massive human chain along the promenade. Our voices will be heard loud and clear: we must stop the plastic problem, and the government must step up to protect our ocean from this threat.
‘As a town we have been working hard to reduce single-use plastic, but producers and brands are still pumping out products we just don’t want,’ she continued. ‘It’s time to send a message that communities are doing their best to protect the ocean, now producers and big business must do the same.‘
The UK Government is now being asked to deliver on a number of areas, these include:
* Setting legally-binding targets to cut plastic pollution
* Implementing an effective circular economy centred on reuse and refill, including the implementation of a comprehensive Deposit Return Scheme and introduction of binding reuse targets
* Holding polluters to account by enforcing current laws and delivering Extended Producer Responsibility schemes that make polluters pay.
You can find out about events in your area here.
Image: Brian Yurasits / Unsplash
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