Every weekend, Emily Stevenson heads out from her home in Cornwall to help clear beaches of litter. But since the outbreak of COVID-19, Emily and her army of volunteers have seen a shocking increase in plastic aprons, disposal masks, and latex gloves washing up on the shores.
CONTAMINATED
Emily, 23, a marine biologist, says, “Before the pandemic, finding PPE [personal protective equipment] waste was unheard of – but since March, it’s spiked by 96 per cent on our clear-ups.
“In the past couple of years, we saw a real shift in people’s attitudes towards plastic use. Everyone carried a reusable coffee cup and a bag for life.
“But now, lots of us are using single-use PPE without realising the damage it’ll do to the planet.”
While many people don’t actively…
