Ocean Plastics
With 250kg of plastic washing into the world’s oceans every second, Bywaters is committed to turning the tide on ocean plastic pollution.
Free Quote
Contact us today for your Free Quote
Raising Awareness of Ocean Plastic Pollution
Nobody can begin to solve a problem of which they’re unaware; that’s why Bywaters works with our clients to help raise awareness of the unsustainable amount of plastic that gets washed into the sea each year. Alongside providing the most sustainable waste management services possible, we hold regular beach cleans with our clients and commit each year to reduce the amount of plastic we use as a business.
Additionally, we use our position as industry leaders to educate people about plastic pollution through national campaigns and television appearances. In the past few years, we have helped to organise the successful ‘Plasticus’ campaign with Sky Ocean Rescue – which saw us tour a 250kg plastic whale around the UK – and also appeared on the BBC TV series ‘The War on Plastic’.
Initiatives such as these have enabled us to engage millions of people with the problem of ocean plastic pollution and helped us drive up awareness of the need to be more sustainable in our use of plastic.
Touring ‘Plasticus’ with Sky Ocean Rescue
To demonstrate our commitment to reducing plastic in the ocean, Bywaters recently joined forces with Sky Ocean Rescue and Sky TV last year to tour a 10 metre long plastic whale around the UK.
Named ‘Plasticus’, the whale was made from half a tonne of single-use plastic recovered by our materials recovery facility in Bow. The whale’s weight was symbolic of the amount of plastic entering the oceans every second, adding up to an unbelievable 8 million tonnes each year.
The UK tour saw Plasticus visit 12 different locations across the country, before returning to London so all the plastic that made it could be recycled by Bywaters. The sculpture demonstrated the scale of the current plastic pollution problem to millions of people, and the success of the campaign saw Bywaters awarded with a Planet Mark award for our fight against single-use plastics.
Appearance on the BBC’s ‘The War on Plastic’
As experts in the waste management industry, we’re always keen to lend expert advice to educate people about the major problems facing the world’s environment today. So we were delighted to appear on the recent BBC series ‘The War on Plastic’ to explain what needs to be addressed and how people can help make a difference.
We invited the BBC along to our materials recovery facility to demonstrate the issues posed by disposable plastic toys, such as those given away in McDonald’s Happy Meals – which often end up arriving at our facilities to be processed without ever having been taken out of their original packaging.
Being able to reach millions of people through the BBC and demonstrate the effect that our plastic culture is having was an invaluable opportunity. Prevention is the first step in the waste hierarchy, and therefore our focus is always on reducing the amount of waste produced – changing behaviour in order to bring about huge leaps forward in sustainability.
Doing Everything we can to Protect the Oceans
Sustainability is the core of Bywaters, which is why we care so deeply about reducing ocean plastic pollution and keeping our planet sustainable for future generations. If you would like to find out how Bywaters’ team of sustainability experts can help make your business’s operations planet-friendly, or you have an idea for an initiative you’d like to collaborate with us on, please get in touch.
