World Environment Day takes place annually on June 5th. It was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1972 to encourage environmental outreach and celebrate our environment worldwide. Since its establishment, the Day has grown to be one of the largest global outreach events annually, with tens of millions of people participating through online and in-person events across the world. This day marks exactly 2 months before countries meet again to continue negotiating a global treaty to end plastic pollution.
The focus for this year is ending the battle with plastic pollution. Annually, the world generates more than 430 million tonnes of plastic, most of which is single-use, ending up in landfills, our waterways and the ocean. Not only is plastic polluting our environment, but it is also working its way into and up the food chain to us. With plastic being found in the stomachs of our sea life and birds, to the micro and nano plastics that are now being found in the human body.
This year, Korea is highlighting inspiration from nature and real-world solutions in a campaign to encourage individuals, industry, and governments to adopt suitable practices to bring about real, systematic change. More information on events taking place globally is available on the World Environmental Day website here.
Keep Britain Tidy is home to one of the largest organisations of litter picks nationwide. In April alone, over 16,112 bags of litter were collected by volunteers and litter-pick groups, most of which contained single-use plastic. One such group is Barton RiverCare, which has recently been re-established by ourselves and the Chalk Streams Project. To get involved, you can join the litter pick group over on Facebook. By working together with government intervention, we can reduce and stop plastic waste. Since the single-use plastic bags charge in 2015, there have been 9 billion fewer bags used nationwide, reducing the number of bags that are making their way into our natural environment and the food chain. To find out more about how you can put pressure on the government to reduce waste and get involved with clean-up initiatives, you can visit the Keep Britain Tidy website here.
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