A community campaign group has welcomed the government's promise to wipe out plastic waste in the UK – and help clean up Dorset's coastline. 

Litter Free Coast and Sea said the the government's pledge to eradicate all avoidable plastic waste in the UK by 2042 was a 'step in the right direction'.

As part of the pledge supermarkets will be urged to have 'plastic-free aisles', where food will be sold loose to allow consumers to make environmentally friendly decisions, and 5p charges for plastic carriers bags will be extended to all retailers, including small businesses.

Litter Free Coast and Sea has been working along the Dorset coast with communities, individuals and businesses to reduce the amount of litter, often from plastic, that ends up in the sea or on Dorset beaches.

Matilda Manley, Litter Free Coast and Sea coordinator, said: “It’s an ongoing problem in Dorset and we are working with many others to try and coordinate action to stop litter reaching our coast. 

"A campaign we are working on to highlight this issue is part of our Coastal Community Funded project which works with local food and drink kiosks in Bournemouth, West Bay, Weymouth and Lyme Regis to find alternative solutions to plastic food packaging."

The campaign group's sister project, 'Litter Free Dorset' is also helping to address problems throughout Dorset, launching a roadside litter campaign to tackle plastic packaging on the roadside verges.

Craig Bowden from Litter Free Coast and Sea said: “There are many small steps that we can take to reduce our own plastic use. Our recent 'Last Straw' campaign asked people to ditch plastic straws as they are one of the most common single-use plastic items found in regular beach clean events. 

"Swapping to paper or reusable straws is easy and we hope businesses and the public along the coast will do just that”. 

The shocking issue of plastic waste in our seas was recently highlighted in David Attenborough’s recent series Blue Planet II. 

The series focused on the impact human activity, and in the final episode especially - plastic waste, had on marine life, with Sir David delivering a powerful call to arms for more to be done to protect the environment.

In the wake of the series, Litter Free Coast and Sea said it hoped, with plastic pollution now being recognised more widely as a problem, more people will get involved in the campaign against plastic waste. 

For more information on how you can get involved or to find a beach clean in your area visit litterfreecoastandsea.co.uk.