Tackling microplastics – what more can Wales do?
Published: 29 Jan 2024
Present in our oceans and soils, microplastics are a harmful and pervasive phenomenon. But what can be done in Wales? Kirsty Luff investigates in an article published by the Welsh Agenda (Institute of Welsh Affairs)
I didn’t think about microplastics much until a team away day last February. We were gathered around a table, dotted with petri dishes full of sand or soil and taking it in turns to look at the microplastics.
When I donned the bright orange spectacles and shone a UV torch at a sample from Broadhaven beach in Pembrokeshire, the clear yellow sand transformed into a galaxy of shining stars. Red, yellow, and orange glittery blobs were occasionally punctuated by a long thread.
Ever since, I’ve been on a mission to find out more about this insidious and largely invisible kind of pollution.
