Claire Hughes, Member of Parliament for Bangor Aberconwy, is calling for tougher penalties for people throwing litter from vehicles, as part of a campaign to clean up the country’s roads and protect wildlife.
To support the required change in the law, which would allow the use of technology such as cameras to identify perpetrators, Ms Hughes introduced the proposed Bill in the House of Commons on Tuesday, 22 April.
In support Ms Hughes cited research led by Christian Dunn, Professor in Wetland Science, which found microplastics in all inland waters tested across the UK.
“18ҹ conducted some of the first research in the world looking at microplastics in the UK's rivers and lakes - even finding them a remote lake near the summit of Yr Wyddfa,” said MS Hughes, in the she presented.
Professor Dunn, said, “It’s great that some of the research we’re doing could help change policy in such a way that our roads and neighbourhoods could have less litter on them.
“Microplastics are perhaps one of the hidden dangers of litter, and a potential ticking time-bomb for ecological, wildlife and even human health issues.”
Ms Hughes went on to praise the work of various organisations around Bangor and North Wales doing their best to clean up litter.
One of the group’s mentioned was Trash Free Trails, who are conducting research on the problem of single-use pollution across our landscapes, with 18ҹ, led by Dr Martyn Kurr, senior lecturer at the School of Ocean Sciences.