Prince Charles says plastic is "on the menu" as he warned of the increase in waste pollution in the seas.
Prince Charles
The 68-year-old royal was speaking at the Our Ocean Conference in Malta where he warned it could eventually be the case that every wild caught fish that is eaten will contain plastic.
He said: "As many of you know so well, the eight million tonnes of plastic that enter the sea every year - through our own doing I might add - is now almost ubiquitous.
"As the Prime Minister said, f or all the plastic that we have produced since the 1950's that has ended up in the ocean is still with us in one form or another, so that wherever you swim there are particles of plastic near you and we are very close to reaching the point when whatever wild-caught fish you eat will contain plastic. Plastic is indeed now on the menu!"
And the Prince of Wales urged for more recycling rather than the "throw-away, convenience lifestyles" we have come to get used to.
He added: "Faced with such damaging effects on the ocean from plastic waste from the throw-away, convenience lifestyles of many around the world, it is, I believe, utterly crucial that we transition to a circular economy. A circular economy allows plastic (along with many other substances) to be recovered, recycled and reused instead of created, used and then thrown away.
"On our increasingly crowded planet this economic approach has to be a critical part of establishing a more harmonious relationship between humankind and the ocean that sustains us all and also provides a mechanism for the benefits of a sustainable Blue Economy to be reaped."
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