Leading conservation charity, the Scottish Wildlife Trust has welcomed the publication by The Scottish Government of a draft strategy to help tackle the problem of marine litter in Scottish seas.
Marine litter, including plastic bags and bottles, is one of the most extensive pollution problems affecting global oceans and will get worse unless urgent action is taken.
The greatest problem comes from plastics that can persist in the marine environment for centuries resulting in a continual build up of litter at sea and on our beaches.
Marine litter kills and injures wildlife with direct harm from entanglement or ingestion.
It is estimated that plastic litter is responsible for the death of a staggering 1 million seabirds, 100,000 marine mammals and 100,000 turtles globally every year.
There are also economic implications. Research by the Scottish Association for Marine Science and the James Hutton Institute argues that marine litter in Scotland carries an economic cost of £16.8 million every year, although the authors believe this to be a gross underestimate.
The development of a national marine litter strategy will help Scotland meet requirements under European law to ensure that marine litter does not cause further harm to marine and coastal environments.
The Scottish Government is now inviting comments on the draft document.
Scottish Wildlife Trust Policy Officer, Alex Kinninmonth, said: “Marine litter is a serious problem causing untold harm to wildlife and by putting off visitors to our beaches it places coastal economies at risk.
“The Scottish Wildlife Trust believes Scotland must show strong leadership on this global problem with an ambitious action plan that raises public awareness of marine litter and begins to shape behaviour to prevent it.
“Everyone in Scotland can play their part by reducing waste and recycling – the Scottish Wildlife Trust would encourage people to be plastic bag free.”