Ocean Plastic Gifts

The ocean plastic gifts we offer are removal & disposal of ocean plastic: No added trinkets or keepsakes just a chance for you to help the oceans.

trailer full of ocean plastic

We ask for a contribution towards our ocean clean up projects: £2.50 will see removal of 1KG or more of ocean plastic. You can give as much or as little as you like. Simply Donate Here. If you donate £10 of more you will receive a personalised thank you email.

For the ethical or ecological consumer we would consider it to be a very efficient (in terms of embodied CO2) and effective ecological & ethical gift.

Trouble with Trinkets

Typically an ocean plastic gift will be a “trinket” such as a bracelet, or a textile item made wholly or in part from Ocean Plastic. Some gifts are made from just 1% ocean plastic.

Some might find the thought of buying extra plastic items an illogical way of dealing with a problem that is caused by too much plastic.

Providing an item, to symbolise the removal of plastic is a canny move, as it plays to the materialistic side of human psychology. We would consider that providing a “trinket” detracts from the main cause, which is removal of plastic from oceans.

cleaning a beach of plastic

If you donate to remove ocean plastic, why waste energy and resources on manufacturing and transporting “trinkets”? Because “trinkets” are nice . . . well we can’t argue with that. They are.

But! If you would like to do the most good, then manufacturing, packaging and whizzing around in delivery vans delivering trinkets is not part of the solution.

If You Insist

You can buy an upcycled fishing crate , an ethical ocean plastic gift, by buying one on EBay.  This offer extends to UK residents only. The boxes make great planters or storage boxes (image thanks to Catherine Payne). If you do not wish to buy a fishing crate please donate to ocean plastic charity. We shouldn’t really sell these. It is a bit naughty. So you need to be a bit of a rebel to buy one.

picture of fishing trawler crates used as planters

Why this is a Good Ocean Plastic Gift

Just as you might sponsor a goat or a toilet in the 3rd world, sponsoring us to remove plastics from remote UK beaches is a great idea, and make perfect ocean plastic gifts for any lover of the natural world.

But we will now justify our offering to you. It is not just a random offering, it is a science lead initiative.

The Beach Clean

We hear a lot about microplastics, so why are we picking up big chunks of plastic from beaches?

towing ocean plastic for disposal

Microplastics are small particles and fibres composed of plastic that are clogging our oceans. There are trillions of micro plastic particles in our oceans, but they come from two main sources:

Primary Microplastics

Primary microplastics are the ones that enter the oceans and seas when they are already microplastics. Over 50% of these primary microplastics come from two sources: Vehicle Tire Particles, and synthetic fabric fibres from washing clothes.

Secondary Microplastics

Secondary microplastics enter the ocean as large items, but then break down. An example might be an empty pop bottle rolling up and down a beach, with small pieces of micro plastic breaking off, and being released into the ocean. We have estimated 77% of microplastics are secondary microplastics.

What Scientists Say

In the paper “Microplastics in the marine environment” Anthony L.Andrady explains:

Recognition that microparticles (and therefore also nanoplastics) are most likely generated on beaches underlines the importance of beach cleaning as an effective mitigation strategy. The removal of larger pieces of plastic debris from beaches before these are weathered enough to be surface embrittled can have considerable value in reducing the microplastics that end up in the ocean. Beach cleanup therefore can have an ecological benefit far beyond the aesthetic improvements of the beaches, and by reducing microplastics, contributes towards the health of the marine food web.”

In a nutshell, plastic on beaches is in urgent need of removal before it breaks down into smaller harder to deal with microplastics. Plastic breaks down on beaches far far quicker then out at sea, or when underwater.

photo showing breakdown of plastics on beach
Micro Plastic Particles on Beach

Refunds

We would be disappointed if you did, but there is nothing to stop you re-claiming you money back from us via your chosen payment provider, if you change your mind about your ocean plastic gift, or are unhappy with the wait. Paypal call this “making a claim” it is easy to do through your paypal account.