This Valentine’s Day, Clean Coasts is challenging people all around Ireland to “break up with plastic”

Clean Coasts’ Valentine’s Day initiative #BreakUpWithPlastic is back again. This February 14th, Clean Coasts is challenging people from all over Ireland to end their toxic relationship with single use plastic and find a more suitable match – how about a bamboo toothbrush or a reusable straw?

With the #BreakUpWithPlastic initiative, Clean Coasts want to raise further awareness about the global issue of plastic pollution and ask people to stop opting for single-use plastic.

Ireland has some of the most diverse and spectacular coastlines in the world.

However, an excessive use of plastic is not only damaging its image and polluting Irish oceans and seas, but it is also threatening our marine wildlife and people’s health.

Recent statistics show that Ireland is the number one plastic waste producer in the European Union and over a third of all produced plastic, such us straws, shopping bags or bottles, is used only once and then discarded.

Approximately 9 million tons of plastic waste enter our ocean each year. Plastic generally takes between 450 and 1,000 years to decompose and plastic waste is suffocating our ocean.

The good news is – there is a solution to this crisis!

This Valentine’s day join Clean Coasts in ditching single use plastic and switch to a bamboo toothbrush, a reusable cup/water bottle, or a reusable straw.

On this occasion, Clean Coasts will release new downloadable materials containing tips on how to avoid single use plastic.

Clean Coasts organizes hundreds of beach clean-ups every year, with the help of thousands of volunteers who remove a considerable amount of plastic litter from our coastline. With the help of everybody, our aim is to end plastic pollution.

Visit www.cleancoasts.org to find out more.

To find out about our #BreakUpWithPlastic initiative and download our free resources, visit https://cleancoasts.org/our-initiatives/break-up-with-plastic/