Top Pompey players, including Louis Thompson, Sean Raggett and Connor Ogilvie are going on the attack against litter in Portsmouth. They will join nearly 100 primary school children from around the City on Eastney beach this Thursday 7 April to remove rubbish.
They will also be joined by the Final Straw Foundation, a community interest company, working with local communities and businesses to highlight the impact of plastic pollution on our environment.
Everyone will be tasked with separating out items for recycling and children will also attend workshops to learn more about the impact of plastics on our oceans and wildlife. The Pompey players will get involved with collecting rubbish from the beach and share ways in which they try to be more sustainable. The children will also be asked to make a pledge to help reduce plastic in their own lives.
The University of Portsmouth’s Revolution Plastics initiative is assembling teams of scientists, business leaders, campaigners and citizens who share their ambition to transform the way plastic is made, used and disposed of.
The Revolution Plastics team is putting plastic research into practice. Their aim is to transform Portsmouth into a global showcase for how to achieve a sustainable plastics future.
Land restoration is a key factor in reducing pressures on ocean ecosystems and allowing them to continue providing economic, social and hazard mitigation benefits to coastal communities.
Professor Steve Fletcher leads the Revolution Plastics team and is also Director of the Global Plastics Policy Centre at the University of Portsmouth. He said: “It’s crucial that young people learn about the impact of plastic on the environment so they can help address one of the most pressing problems facing the world.
“This beach clean initiative ties in perfectly with the University’s Revolution Plastic project, which will speed up our progress towards finding a solution to the huge environmental challenge of plastic waste.”
The children will also learn about the world's first city-wide plastic survey being conducted by the University in collaboration with Jetsam. The data collected during these surveys will be used to inform actions to reduce plastic pollution in the city. Anyone can take part. Just download the Jetsam app in your normal app store and take photos of plastic waste you see in the city on one of our survey weekends. Our fifth and final survey weekend will take place from 6–8 of May.
Anna Mitchell, Chief Commercial Officer for Portsmouth Football Club, said: “We are plastic free at our First Team and Academy Training Ground, which has enabled us to cut a huge amount of single use plastics and reduce our waste.
“The next step is working on reducing waste at Fratton Park and how we can encourage fans to make small swaps like using digital tickets rather than printed versions, which has been really successful this season.
“We believe that we are all responsible as a collective for reducing our waste and helping to make a positive impact to improve the environment for future generations.”