Sir, – While it was heartening to see images from the Big Beach Clean (September 19th), and the efforts of the volunteers and companies involved, it is dispiriting that such events still need to take place.
Plastic remains a major marine pollutant and, based on evidence from previous coastal clean-ups, it is largely present in our seas and on our strands in the form of plastic-stemmed cotton buds. These little sticks are used by millions of people around the world every day to clean their ears, or apply make-up, before being flushed away and left to enter the marine ecosystem, where the plastic stems cause untold damage. This threat to marine life and – by extension – human health has prompted leading healthcare product manufacturers and retailers in the UK to take action by producing cotton buds with stems made from paper that is biodegradable and from sustainable sources. As consumers, we can play our part by switching to environmentally friendly products such as these, and by urging manufacturers and retailers to supply and stock them. – Yours, etc,
TINA WEADICK,
Dublin 11.