Rob Arnold collected washed plastic litter from a beach in Cornwall and put it out to dry while in quarantine
Some of Rob’s plastic findings turned out to be historical pieces
Rob has been putting his quarantine time to use and sorting the microplastics at home
Marine plastic pollution is among the greatest wildlife disasters of current times. According to a study run by the World Economic Forum, 8 million metric tons of plastic enter the ocean every year. ABC News has calculated that this number equates to a garbage truck full of plastic being dumped into the ocean every single minute. Plastic has now accumulated in huge quantities and reached the deep-sea areas that were previously untouched by humans.
The main problem with plastic is that it’s almost indestructible, only getting smaller with time but never fully disappearing. According to Lucy Woodall, a principal scientist at Nekton, microplastics are probably in every food we eat: “they’re in my cup of tea. I am breathing them in.” Marine animals ingest plastic particles, get entangled in them and hurt themselves.
Some of the little treasures have been floating around in the sea for more than half a century!
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But great job on cleaning though