A Dumbarton based litter picking group has taken part in a push to reduce the amount of plastic used.
Friends of Dumbarton Foreshore joined Greenpeace UK’s Big Plastic Count, which involved counting the amount of plastic being thrown away.
The results reported to Greenpeace from the campaign will be compiled and sent to the UK government to pressure them into making sure supermarkets and companies tackle the plastic crisis.
Zoe Weir from Friends of Dumbarton Foreshore said: “We supported the big plastic count because the pressure should not be primarily on consumers to solve the problem.
“It is an outright lie to say that consumers have a choice not to buy it.
“They do not, because everything is wrapped in plastic.
“Even if it isn’t wrapped in it on the shelf, it has been wrapped in it when it was delivered to the store.
“Not everybody has a huge budget to buy plastic-free items and go to farmers’ markets.
“With the Big Plastic Count, Greenpeace and Everyday Plastic are putting pressure on the government to force the companies to change. It is the only way it is going to change.
“There is the fossil fuel aspect and the pollution aspect too.
“So it is much bigger than just litter.”
Friends of the Dumbarton Foreshore was started by Zoe and her family in 2018 when they noticed the amount of broken glass around Havoc when walking their rescue dog.
Zoe said: “Apart from the broken glass, there was a lot of litter washing in.
“We are a litter sink here. The prevailing tide and wind push litter through to our shore.
“We are downstream from places like Glasgow, which means litter comes through the Clyde and all the little places in between.
“We realised other people felt how we did. It is a beautiful shore, but it would be better without the litter.
“We are putting on a really strong show in Dumbarton, and we are really well represented in terms of looking after the shore and wildlife.”
