Plastic litter incidents affecting animals at all-time high, reveals RSPCA

The number of animals affected by plastic litter in England and Wales is at an all-time high, with incidents increasing by 22% in just four years, according to new RSPCA data.

The animal welfare charity has recorded a rise in incidents affecting animals involving plastic litter from 473 in 2015 to 579 in 2018, bucking a downward trend for all types of litter (from 4,968 in 2015 to 4,579 in 2018).

However, the North West has bucked the trend, with plastics incidents slightly down from 76 in 2015 to 71 last year (2018). A total of 304 incidents were recorded over a four-year period.

The charity’s latest data also reveals that there are certain animals - especially those that live in water habitats - which are being affected disproportionately by plastic.

For example, there has been a fourfold rise in seals affected by incidents involving plastic litter with 28 recorded across England and Wales in 2018 compared to just 5 in 2015. Plastic litter is also a particular problem for certain water birds, with incidents involving geese rising from 37 to 70 and swans rising from 40 to 48 across England and Wales during that same four-year period.

RSPCA Head of Wildlife, Adam Grogan said: “This shocking rise in plastic litter incidents suggests that plastic is a growing threat to animals.

“Every year, the RSPCA deals with increasing numbers of mammals, birds and reptiles that have become entangled or affected in some way by discarded plastic.

"From seals with deep infected wounds caused by plastic frisbees cutting into their necks, to swans and geese trapped in fishing line or netting, plastic is clearly having an increasing impact on animal welfare.

“Our latest data sadly reflects the wider litter crisis taking place right now across the globe and action is urgently needed.  It’s up to every one of us to do our bit in the war against litter.”

In the North West, incidents where animals have been affected by general litter have also thankfully decreased from 216 in 2015 to 165 in 2018.

The RSPCA data also revealed that:

• Across all species, of the 4,579 incidents in 2018 which involved any types of litter, 3,228 were from angling litter and 1,351 general litter
• Across all species, of the 579 incidents in 2018 involving just plastic litter, 29 were litter from angling and 550 were from general litter
• The number of seals affected by any type of litter almost doubled from 55 in 2015 to 109 in 2018 (with plastic litter incidents rising from 5 to 28 across the same period)

Help protect animals by taking litter home and disposing of it responsibly, and joining the Great British Spring Clean from Keep Britain Tidy which the RSPCA is proud to be supporting:

• www.keepbritaintidy.org