An environmentalist has warned beachgoers after discovering thousands of plastic spray nozzles washing up on the UK coastline – and has now urged people to dispose of them
Environmental activist Chloe Hurst has issued a dire warning to those visiting the shores of Cornwall after stumbling upon thousands of matching plastic items scattered along the coast.
Chloe sparked a conversation by posing a question to her audience TikTok saying: “They have been washing up on our local beaches recently, but what are they?”
She shed light on a puzzling discovery made during a beach clean-up, where volunteers consistently encountered “little spray nozzle things.”
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Upon delving into research and dialogues with fellow beach cleaners and experts, Chloe unravelled that these components originated from bottles designed for ear, eye, and nasal cleansing fluids, some even containing medicinal antibiotics.
She informed her followers: “It’s estimated that around 1,500 shipping containers get lost to sea every year, so it’s no wonder we find things like this washing up in vast quantities on our beaches.”
Additionally, Chloe underscored the potential health hazards posed by such debris, which may harbour harmful microbes, expressing frustration over the lack of accountability.
Exhibiting two full receptacles of collected nozzles, she said: “If you find any of these please do pick them up, but make sure you are wearing gloves and dispose of them properly.”
The dialogue on TikTok further expanded as one user questioned the dynamics behind maritime accidents: “But how does a shipping container spill its contents instead of just floating around closed then sinking?” reports the Express.
She replied: “Great question! Everything has to break down at some point so either an old the container has finally broken down and released them, or the container broke during the spill, we can’t say for sure!”
Fans of Chloe’s work are making their appreciation known, with one supporter commenting: “Thank you for clearing up as these big companies won’t ever be help accountable. Please, please shop local businesses.”
Another admirer commended her efforts, saying: “I live in the Midlands but I’m absolutely passionate about the sea/oceans. Thank you for supporting the wild life flourish, and cleaning our beaches. Thank you.”
The issue isn’t isolated to Cornwall’s shores; a Devon-based TikTok user highlighted similar concerns: “Container spills are the worst. We had adult nappies a while back in North Devon before those pink Vanish bottles.”
Dorset residents have also been affected, with someone pointing out: “We’ve got an industrial amount of white paint washing up all over our Bournemouth beaches. Dogs are getting covered in it.”