Sea-bird death toll leads to call for tax on plastic bags

Scotsman.com

WILDLIFE in the North Sea is increasingly falling victim to human waste, with virtually all dead sea-birds found to have eaten litter carried in the water, according to a new study.

Scientists measuring the amount of waste found in fulmars discovered that 96 per cent of the birds had fragments of plastic in their stomachs.

The figure was almost double the amount discovered in the early 1980s, the researchers said. Environmental groups - which are backing an MSP’s bid to introduce a levy on plastic bags in shops in Scotland - branded the figures "truly shocking".

Link: Sea-bird death toll leads to call for tax on plastic bags.