Declan Breathnach (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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A sperm whale washed up off the coast of Spain in February this year. Biologists who recently carried out an autopsy discovered plastic bags, a jerrycan, several pieces of rope and net, and even a 5 litre drum. The volume of human trash in the whale weighed 30 kg or 66 lb. The experts confirmed that the plastic killed the whale. It could not digest it and died due to a blockage. The case triggered international outrage and campaigns against single-use plastic, which often ends up in our oceans and inside unfortunate creatures such as this sperm whale. Statistics show that more than 500 marine species are impacted by plastic pollution. A previous study found more than 5 trillion plastic pieces in the ocean, leading to the ocean floor being described as "a plastic cemetery". With 8 million tonnes of plastic ending up in the ocean every year, researchers say that by 2050, there will be more plastic than fish in the oceans. That is equivalent to 620,000 Eiffel towers or 60 million blue whales.

There are always ways to reduce our plastic usage and I concur with other speakers that young people get this. However, this requires strong, systematic efforts by all sections of society. We urgently need a strategic approach to changing mindsets on the dumping of plastics. Legislation is needed to ban single-use plastics and to ban plastic microbeads from cosmetics and detergents, which I have raised in the House previously. We need to include all citizens, not just young people, in this campaign and continue to highlight the detrimental effects that plastic waste has on our environment and wildlife. It is incumbent on policymakers, corporations and all citizens to play their part. As Deputy Eamon Ryan and others said, this is National Spring Clean Week. I commend schools and Tidy Towns committees for their work in that regard. I spent 25 years on a local authority and they would put our local authorities to shame. Councils such as my own did away with plastic bring banks, which is outrageous, when as a country we dispose of 3.6 million plastic bottles annually. I could go on and on about microbeads and the effects of showers and so on.

We should look to ban unnecessary plastic packaging. The United Kingdom states it will eliminate plastic waste by 2040. We need to set a target in that respect. Ireland was to the fore in this regard when the plastic bag levy was introduced. The smoking ban was implemented indoors. A similar, robust campaign is needed to get everyone on board to ban single-use plastics, plastic packaging and the dreaded microbeads. Plastic pollution is having a detrimental effect on marine life and, in particular, it impacts on breeding and growth patterns. It is a known scientific fact that many fish species are beginning not to know what sex they are. On a positive note, just this week, scientists created an enzyme capable of eating plastic that will help our approach to tackling pollution.

This will be a biological catalyst but the research has a long way to go.

Deputy Eugene Murphy referred to illegal dumping, a scourge right across the country. No matter what clean-ups are done on the roads or elsewhere, they are as bad each week. We can introduce CCTV and impose heavy fines, but people need to learn from the young. I say this as a former teacher. They put us to shame on this issue. While the European Union is looking at this, we need to move swiftly with our own legislation in order that we can lead by example. We need to get serious about cleaning up our water systems and setting cleaner environmental standards. We all have a part to play. It is important to reflect and say Ireland produces, per person, 61 kg of plastic per year, which is almost double the EU average. China will not take our waste any longer. To get a message across, every time one washes a fleece in a washing machine, scientists tell us that over 1,900 particles of plastic material end up in the water system.