The Pharmacy team at University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust have got together to banish plastic bags used for patients to carry medicines home from hospital.
Instead, new recyclable paper bags are being used for patients’ medicines, which will replace the single-use plastic bags.
The initiative came from a staff suggestion at a team ‘improvement huddle’ which aims to make...
A leading marine scientist has welcomed news that government legislation on charges for plastic bags has led to a substantial reduction in their use.
Richard Thompson, Professor of Marine Biology at Plymouth University, has been studying the effects of plastic litter on the marine environment for over 20 years, and his work has informed policies on plastic bag legislation in the UK,...
The 5p charge for single-use plastic carrier bags comes into effect today (5 October).
The charge, which will apply for all retailers with 250 or more full-time employees, is expected to significantly reduce the number of plastic bags taken from shops. It follows the success of similar schemes in Scotland and Wales – in Wales the charge led to a 79 per cent decrease in plastic bags in...
Retailers who stock and sell personal care products that contain tiny particles of plastic may have finally realised that washes, scrubs, gels and pastes made from natural products are just as effective and won’t damage our seas, says the UK’s leading marine charity.
The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) says many leading high street retailers have promised to stop selling products...
New research shows that plastic litter can smother marine life, dramatically reducing the numbers of organisms – and compromising the ecosystem services they provide – in coastal marshes.
That is the key message to emerge from a collaborative study led by Dr Dannielle Green, an IRC-funded Research Fellow in the Biogeochemistry Research Group at Trinity College Dublin. Dr Green is the...
The government plans to introduce a five pence charge for plastic carrier bags in England. The announcement is to be made by Nick Clegg at the Liberal Democrats' annual conference in Glasgow this weekend.
Aimed at discouraging the use and disposal of plastic bags which may have an impact on wildlife and the wider environment, the plans follow figures from Wales which has seen a 75%...
