Kids against Plastic: Make a change – become ‘Plastic Clever’

A plastic bottle can last for 450 years in the marine environment, slowly fragmenting into smaller and smaller pieces and eventually end up microscopic – unseen to the naked eye, but never truly gone.

Over 150 plastic bottles litter each mile of UK beaches.

Roughly 100,000 sea mammals and 1 million sea birds die every year because of plastic.

Today's post features two young girls whose goal is to inspire others to make that positive change.

While studying the UN’s Global Goals for Sustainable Development (SDGs), Emma and Amy Meek discovered the problem of single-use plastic, and how plastic pollution is damaging ecosystems and wildlife - as well as its impact on human health. They decided to take action and started a petition aimed at getting the UK supermarkets to stock non-plastic packaged water alternatives on their shelves. Emma and Amy Meek then moved on to focus on 4 major plastic pollutants– namely coffee cups and lids, plastic bottles, straws and plastic bags - and over the last two years have worked hard to inspire school children, engage politicians, business leaders and academics, and to motivate families, cafés, businesses and people to become Plastic Clever.

To learn more about the Plastic Clever initiative and take part: http://clearplasticuk.net

UN’s Global Goals for Sustainable Development: http://www.globalgoals.org/

For facts and figures on plastic pollution: https://www.sas.org.uk/our-work/plastic-pollution/plastic-pollution-facts-figures/