Donal Hickey: Superb work on Big Beach Clean — but marine litter is still a coastal concern

Particles from car tyres and cigarette butts are of particular concern because of their toxicity

Some of the marine litter picked up by volunteers for the Clean Coasts @CleanCoasts  #BigBeachClean23

There’s a lot more work to do regarding the scale of risks to human health and animal life from plastic in the oceans.

That was the clear message to emerge from a meeting of leading international marine experts hosted by the Marine Institute, in Galway, on dangers caused by a combination of warming sea temperatures, worsening ocean conditions, and microplastics (tiny, and often invisible, pieces of plastic).