Parliamentary Petition for UK wide ban on cheap polystyrene bodyboards

UK GOVERNMENT CALLED UPON TO BAN CHEAP POLYSTYRENE BODYBOARDS!

Parliamentary petition announced calling for UK wide ban.

Plastic Free Torridge, Plastic Free North Devon and Keep Britain Tidy’s Ocean Recovery Project are today announcing a petition calling for UK Government legislation to ban the sale of cheap polystyrene bodyboards across the UK.

Cheap polystyrene bodyboards have blighted coastlines across the world for decades. Annually, hundreds of thousands of low-cost body boards are discarded on beaches across the world. Keep Britain Tidy report that 16000 of these bodyboards ended up discarded on UK beaches every year. These “sub £10” brightly coloured boards, known to break easily often after only one or two uses, are invariably discarded on UK beaches. These 16,000 single use boards create a large amount of waste in the UK and create a huge carbon footprint. These boards, made from a block of standard polystyrene wrapped in brightly printed nylon cloth, are sourced from China, transported thousands of miles only to snap within minutes of use.

Polystyrene is fragile and crumbles easily posing a danger to sea and shore life alike. Once in the ocean, algae and small organisms grow on each ball adding weight causing the nuggets to sink and present itself as food to fish. The human health threat from polystyrene comes from one of its building blocks Styrene. In 2018, the World Health Organisation reclassified Styrene from a “possible carcinogen” to a “probable carcinogen” – a probable cause of cancer.

The campaign, started in October 2020 has attracted widespread support across northern Devon with both area MP’s along with District, Town and Parish Councils calling on local retailers to remove these items from sale. Over 97% of 1,600 local residents polled have called for a change to be made to stop the damage these boards are causing to our natural environment.

“Today we launch a Parliamentary Petition”, confirmed Andrew Cross, Plastic Free Torridge. “We have received fabulous support for the campaign both in our local area and beyond. Calling on the UK Government to introduce legislation to ban these boards is the next step we must take!”

With polystyrene bodyboards being discarded on beaches across the UK, the problem is national not local. The Parliamentary Petition will allow people from across the country to express their support for action.

“Support for the campaign has been amazing”, stated Claire Moodie, CEO, Plastic Free North Devon. “We have very quickly seen support from politicians, councils, businesses and residents alike. We are now calling on the UK Government to address this problem by introducing legislation. Ultimately, this will eliminate the danger this material poses and protect our environment for future generations.’

“Legislation is needed to protect our beaches from polystyrene”, commented Neil Hembrow, Ocean Recovery Project Manager, Keep Britain Tidy. ”Almost daily, we see reports of tiny polystyrene balls being washed up on our beaches. They are a hazard and something needs to be done.”

The campaign is seeking support across the UK from Councils, NGO’s and environmental community groups. If you would like to get involved, please email hello@bancheapbodyboards.co.uk.

Anyone wanting to sign the Parliamentary Petition should visit, www.bancheapbodyboards.co.uk,

For further details and comment, please contact Andrew Cross on 07886854196.