Do you use plastic drinking straws and cotton buds?

Plastic drinking straws, cotton buds and other single-use plastics are causing pollution of the world’s rivers and oceans.

Cotton buds, often flushed down the toilet, are one of the most serious sources of marine pollution. They are small enough to be eaten by birds and marine life.

Altogether it is estimated that there are 150m tonnes of plastic in the world’s oceans, and over 100,000 sea mammals die from eating or getting tangled up in plastic waste.

Each plastic straw can take 500 years or more to break down. Environmental groups warn that the straws are ingested by wildlife and end up in the food chain.

Everyone has a responsibility to protect the environment and there are viable alternatives to plastic such as paper straws.