FOR GOVERNMENT:

Take litter seriously

Give statutory responsibility for reducing beach litter to a body such as the new Marine Management Organisation. Enforce anti-litter laws, and increase penalties for offenders

Keep sewage off the beach

Upgrade sewers and drains to stop sewage discharging onto beaches except during flooding. Monitor combined sewer outflows (CSOs) and impose heavy fines on water companies that offend regularly

Act against dumping at sea

Give all UK waters Special Area status to protect them under the international law that regulates dumping at sea. Require waste-disposal facilities at all harbours, marinas, fish docks and commercial ports. All new ships to have waste-management systems

Discourage packaging waste

Require kerbside waste sorting, especially of plastics. Maximise recycling

Protect wildlife

Set up Marine Conservation Zones to protect all marine habitats. All commercial activity, including fishing, to be banned from some sites

FOR COUNCILS AND PORT AUTHORITIES:

Provide facilities

Install litter bins for beach-users and boat owners; recycling centres for ships’ waste; disposal for non-flushable waste in public WCs

Discourage law-breaking

Enforce anti-litter laws strictly. Let beach wardens levy on-the-spot fines

FOR INDUSTRY:

Stop discharges

Water companies should improve storm-water storage capacity and redesign CSOs so that untreated sewage spills only in emergencies

Cut down on plastics

Replace plastic in disposable bathroom products with biodegradable materials. All items containing plastic to be labelled as non-flushable

FOR SCIENCE:

Establish the facts

Find out about degradation times; the long-term effects of plastics on the marine environment; the number of people who become ill after swimming; and the damage caused by CSOs

FOR THE PUBLIC:

Don't make things worse

Don’t drop litter. Don’t flush plastic waste down the WC

Be part of the solution

Take part in Beachwatch and other voluntary clean-up schemes. To join or make a donation to the MCS, go to www.mcsuk.org, or call 01989 566017. You can also donate £3.50 by texting ‘OCEAN’ to 81456

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