Elinor's plastic pollution warning as she clears roadside litter
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A YOUNG woman has been using her lockdown exercise time to clear road verges from rubbish around her home at Achreamie near Dounreay.
Last Thursday, Elinor Spencer carried out a litter pick on the verge of the main road between the junction of Achreamie and the Balmore animal welfare centre, west of Thurso.
"What I found on the verge is close to the sea and a concern for local wildlife and residents," said the 24-year-old who plans to study marine biology in September.
Covering around 700 metres, Elinor ended up filling three large bin bags with plastic bottles – some unopened – along with cans, plastic car parts, wrappers, glass and coffee cups.
"We are living a disposable and plastic life, where plastic is found everywhere," she said.
"We need to change our behaviour when we buy from a supermarket. When we throw something away, or out of a car window, there is no 'away'. Ultimately we need to turn the plastic tap off.
"Recycling is only so effective – of the 8.3 billion tonnes we produce worldwide, only nine per cent is recycled."
Elinor says that plastics have a "crucial part to play" in the climate crisis, as the use of fossil fuels for plastics is increasing. She believes that if we are to minimise the global average temperature increase to 1.5C, we have to look at the emissions "from everything we produce and consume".
She said: "If possible I would like to raise awareness of the plastic problem we face, as I begin my marine biology studies in September.
"If we are to save our human population, we need to save the marine life too."
Some of the other rubbish Elinor found included car wing mirrors and metal parts, hub caps and tyres. There was also agricultural waste – black wrapping for bales – and one fishing box buried under grass.
Elsewhere, reports have come in of fly-tipping around the county including a washing machine in a quarry in the Camster area, tyres and other items near the Trinkie by Wick, and suspected asbestos sheets in a ditch between Keiss and Lyth reported by Donna Mather.
There were various reports published in Highland News & Media publications of increased fly-tipping over the period that council-run waste recycling centres were closed.
A Highland Council spokesperson said: "Reports of fly-tipping are investigated by officers from the council’s environmental health service, in conjunction with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and Police Scotland. Where the responsible parties are identified, appropriate enforcement action will be taken.
"This could involve a fixed monetary penalty of £200 or, in more serious cases, a fine of up to £40,000."
Anyone coming across incidents of fly tipping is urged to report it at the link (available 24 hours a day and seven days a week) – www.highland.gov.uk/info/1054/rubbish_and_recycling/89/litter_and_fly-tipping
