On Wednesday, North Wiltshire MP James Gray attended a Greenpeace Parliamentary reception, organised to spread awareness about the impact of plastic pollution on our rivers and wildlife.

At the event, MPs and guests heard from some inspiring speakers, including Steve Backshall and Amy Meek from ‘Kids Against Plastic,’ about the key changes they want to see for the environment. They also highlighted the negative impact of single use plastics, and the need for a solution which goes further than recycling alone.

After the event James Gray MP said that:

“I was extremely pleased to have attended this Greenpeace event to highlight the negative impact that plastic has on our environment and learn more about how we can address the problems of plastic pollution. I have pledged to support a meaningful Environment Bill to help restore nature and support our wildlife. Action needs to be taken to address the biggest environmental priorities of our age: air quality, nature recovery, waste and resource efficiency, and water resource management. Parliament needs to work to achieve these goals.”

Before the event, Greenpeace crossed the UK with scientists and wildlife experts, to carry out the biggest ever survey of plastic in our inland waters. All 13 rivers tested contained micro-plastics and they found a total of 1,271 pieces of plastic, ranging in size from straw and bottle-top fragments to tiny microbeads less than 1mm across, demonstrating the need for action.