This Plastic Free July, Bournemouth Water is renewing its commitment to cutting plastic waste and protecting the environment - from the ocean to the tap.
Plastic pollution is a growing threat to marine life, ecosystems, and even human health. Scientists estimate 171 trillion pieces of plastic are now floating in the world’s oceans and this is having major consequences for marine life.
Single-use plastics including bottles, food packaging, and fishing equipment degrade over time into smaller pieces and marine animals like fish, whales and turtles may swallow these plastics.
These plastics can stay in marine animals’ stomachs and cause health problems for them like starvation but can also have further reaching consequences for these creatures.
Marine animals can become entangled in plastic waste which reduce their mobility and cause wounds which can become infected, making them vulnerable to predators. It also means they can be unable to surface which can sadly lead to them drowning.
Single-use plastic takes centuries to break down into less harmful material but one of the knock-on effects of this is that it breaks down into smaller fragments called microplastics.
Microplastics can be inhaled or consumed and have been found everywhere from the stomachs of sea turtles to human tissue – but there are concerns about the impact microplastics may have on human health, and scientific studies are investigating this further.
Investing to protect the environment
Drinking water treatment plants, like Bournemouth Water’s Knapp Mill and Alderney WaterTreatment Works, are highly effective at removing particles including microplastics from water. They do this by filtering water to remove particles.
To make this process even more effective, Bournemouth Water is investing a record £200 million to upgrade its Knapp Mill and Alderney Treatment Works to install new ceramic membrane filtration technology so it will be even better at filtering out microplastics.
For Bournemouth Water, protecting the environment is one of its key priorities. The company has committed to achieving operational Net Zero carbon emissions by 2030 and has a ‘green first’ policy of finding nature friendly solutions to problems.
One way the company does this is by supporting local events and festivals by providing refill stations for drinking water, encouraging people to bring reusable bottles and skip single-use plastics.
Plastic Free July is a reminder that change doesn’t just happen in treatment plants — it happens in everyday choices.
Richard Stanbrook, Director of Drinking Water Services at Bournemouth Water said:
“We’re focused on practical action to protect our environment and that’s why we’re investing £200 million to upgrade our Knapp Mill and Alderney Treatment Works to ensure the water reaching our customers is free of microplastics.
“We’re proud to be supporting community events and festivals like Bourne Free PRIDE Festival and Bournemouth Reggae Weekender with our free water refill stations this summer and encourage lasting habits that benefit people and planet
“Refilling your water bottles when you’re out and about is an easy step everyone can take to reduce plastic waste and save water and shows that small changes can make a real impact.”
Find out more information about our environmental commitments.