Dear Constituent,
Thank you for contacting me about the Generation Sea campaign.
The majority of aquatic litter originates from land based sources, so the best approach to stemming the flow of plastic is taking action on land. The UK’s world-leading ban on microbeads will help stop possibly as many as billions of particles from entering the aquatic environment every year and, since the introduction of the plastic bag charge in 2015, 15.6 billion fewer bags have been issued. Following an open consultation, a ban on the supply of plastic straws (excluding those needed for medical purposes) as well as drinks stirrers and cotton buds will come into force next April.
Around £25 billion has been invested to reduce pollution from sewage since water privatisation, covering improvements in sewage treatment and overflows. In England, between 2015 and 2020, water companies are investing over £3 billion to improve their sewerage infrastructure. It is also encouraging to see tough enforcement action when things go wrong, as is shown by the unprecedented fine of almost £20 million levied against Thames Water in March 2017 in response to six cases of avoidable sewage pollution.
Forty-one new Marine Conservation Zones have been created. The UK now has 355 Marine Protected Areas of different types, spanning 220,000 square km. No new activities deemed damaging may take place in these areas and existing harmful activities will be minimised or stopped to allow important habitats to recover.
A review has now been launched into whether and how Highly Protected Marine Areas, the strongest form of marine protection, could be introduced in English seas. This will help inform the Government’s work to expand and strengthen the UK’s Blue Belt to create richer habitats for marine life.
Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.
Yours,
EDWARD LEIGH MP