By Julie Hatcher

It’s no secret that our oceans and marine life are drowning in a vast sea of litter.

An estimated 5 trillion plastic items, from tiny cosmetic microbeads to monster mounds of fishing net are floating at sea and that number is constantly growing as more are added but virtually none are removed.

You can hardly walk along a beach without finding some familiar, every-day object washed up on the shoreline.

Next time you visit the beach see if you can find a drinking straw, cigarette lighter or balloon for example. All this litter is harming our wildlife – an estimated 1 million seabirds and 100,000 marine mammals and turtles die every year as a result of marine litter around the world.

In Dorset many of our beaches are litter traps and some are relatively inaccessible, making cleaning them difficult.

Chesil Beach and those along the south Purbeck coast often collect shocking amounts of plastic debris, especially following winter storms.

Beach cleans are really important in removing some of this from the environment but can seem frustratingly ineffective when the next tide brings a new wave of litter onto the shore.

In fact they are only part of the solution – another part is to stop producing so much plastic in the first place.

Everyone can help. If we avoid buying so much plastic, especially that used for packaging and ‘single-use’ items such as drink bottles and drinking straws, and learn to hate the term ‘disposable’, we can apply pressure on business to stop producing it.

It sounds easy – but it’s not! People will try and give you plastic bags that you don’t want and will pop a drinking straw into your drink even if you don’t ask for one.

If you buy a takeaway drink and don’t want scolding liquid spilling out you will need one of those plastic lids. What happens when you’re out and have drunk the contents of your refillable bottle? Do you buy a bottle of water or go thirsty? So it is definitely NOT easy – but it is not impossible. You just need to be prepared, and this can take practice and determination!

So why not make 2017 the year you quit the plastic habit? Here are some Dorset Wildlife Trust tips to help you help our wildlife.

Get in the habit of taking your re-useable drink bottle everywhere you go. If you run dry, check the free #Refill app to find your nearest tapwater Refill station. Join the Refill Revolution!

When you order a cold drink remember to say ‘No straw please’.

If you’re addicted to takeaway coffee, buy a re-useable cup. Some coffee shops offer discount if you take your own.

Choose loose fruit and veg and avoid the plastic wrapped varieties.

Refuse plastic carrier bags. They may only cost you 5p but they cost the environment so much more.

 Help create a Litter Free Coast & Sea in Dorset. Check out the website and see how you can get involved.