That this House celebrates the publication of the Marine Conservation Society’s annual State of our Beaches report; thanks the thousands of volunteers whose efforts removed over 600,000 litter items from our beaches, of which 26,592 items were removed from the coasts of Devon and Cornwall; notes with concern that single-use plastics were found on 97% of beaches surveyed in the UK; recognises the damaging impact of marine litter on the natural environment, coastal communities and local economies; believes that targeted interventions can successfully reduce the most persistent and harmful forms of pollution; and therefore calls on the Government to phase out non-recyclable single-use plastics entirely, replacing them with suitable, affordable alternatives.
