Beach plastic threat to wildlife

Beach visitors are among the main sources of rubbish

Scotland's beaches have the highest level of sewage debris in Britain, according to a survey.

Plastic accounted for more than half the rubbish found by a UK-wide study by the Marine Conservation Society (MCS), which included 23 Scottish beaches.

Beach visitors are still among the worst offenders for dropping litter, but the society says the biggest threat to wildlife comes from industrial plastics.

The MCS said plastic pellets' strong resemblance to natural foodstuffs such as fish eggs and tiny animals meant they were eaten by mistake, increasing exposure to poisonous substances.

More than half the rubbish was plastic

The research, which covered 150 beaches around the country, found that the overall litter level was slightly up on last year.

More than 1,300 volunteers took part, removing more than 185,000 items.

That figure was slightly up from the previous year, and reverses a generally downward trend recorded by the society's Beachwatch surveys.

The most common items recorded were plastic pieces, rope/cord, caps and bottle lids, crisp and sweet packets and plastic drinks bottles.

Beachwatch co-ordinator Amy Hinks said: "Levels are still unacceptably high and over 55% of litter recorded during Beachwatch 2000 is made of plastic.

"New evidence about the association of toxic substances with industrial plastic pellets gives us an even greater cause for concern as plastic fragments from degrading litter could potentially act in the same way.

Toxic fears

"There is already a wealth of evidence indicating plastic fragments are regularly ingested by marine life potentially exposing them to toxins such as PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls)."

High concentrations of PCBs are known to damage the immune and reproductive systems in fish, marine mammals and seabirds.

The Marine Conservation Society is concerned that raw industrial plastic pellets can act as magnets for toxic chemicals.

Calum Duncan from the Marine Conservation Society said sewage items - including many products which were flushed down toilets rather than being disposed of properly - accounted for 12.7% of the debris on Scottish beaches.