Industry Bosses in Kent Beach Clean Up

The Marine Conservation Society supported by M&S has arranged a Beach Clean-up this Friday from 13:00 hrs on Deal beach, East Kent.

Joining the beach cleaners are: Philip Watkins President of the British Plastics Federation; Dick Searle Chief Executive of the Packaging Federation; Peter Davis Director-General of the British Plastics Federation.

Philip Watkins who is Managing Director of Kent based Plastics business Gabriel-Chemie UK said: “The BPF and our partners in the Plastics 2020 Challenge have taken part in MCS Beach Cleans before.  It’s important we see for ourselves what is found in the marine environment and work with all stakeholders to prevent littering, illegal dumping at sea and poor waste management.  We don’t want used plastics dumped or littered.  We want it back for recycling”.

The Plastics Industry itself does not litter or dump used plastics.

Plastic industry actions to reduce plastics in the marine environment:

• Litter Prevention.  The Plastics 2020 Challenge is sponsoring the MCS’s “Bottle Champions” recycling campaign in 110 primary schools.  Children must recycle 20 plastic bottles, bring the caps to the school as proof and win a sports strip, made of recycled bottles for the schools team.
• Operation Clean Sweep.  Plastics pellet and powder loss prevention.  Major UK Plastics companies have signed a BPF Pledge to prevent plastic pellets and powder being lost into the environment.
• International Action.  The BPF is one of 54 plastics associations worldwide who have signed a “Declaration for solutions on marine litter”.  It outlines a six point strategy for industry action.

ENDS
 
For all media enquiries, BPF logos and images, please contact Peter Davis on 07917 165092 or email: [email protected]

Photograph from left: Philip Watkins, Dick Searle, Peter Davis

Notes for editors:

The British Plastics Federation (BPF) is the UK trade association for the plastics industry – representing the whole supply chain including polymer producers, distributors, additives suppliers, machinery manufacturers, processors and recyclers.

In 2009 the Plastics Industry launched a campaign in the UK “the Plastics 2020 Challenge” to challenge itself, consumers and Government to prevent valuable used plastics going to landfill by 2020.  The 3 partners are: British Plastics Federation, PlasticsEurope and Packaging and Films Association.