Man shares unnerving collection of decades-old items washed up on public beach: 'You're suddenly faced with the facts'

Scottish community members are finding some surprising plastic waste washing up on their shores, according to The Canadian Press. 

What's happening?

Recent storms have opened up sand dunes on the Orkney archipelago's island of Sanday. Community beach cleaners have found plastic waste uncovered there going back decades and originating from far away. 

A lobster tag from Newfoundland, Canada, was stamped with the year 1989, for example. Other items had been found from the United States and England. 

"You're suddenly faced with the facts that this is out there, and the fact that it's so old," said David Warner, a sustainability coordinator with the Sanday Community Craft Hub, per The Canadian Press. "Where is the most recent rubbish that still has yet to come in?"

Why is plastic waste important?

This instance goes to show the longevity of plastic waste and how an increasing volume of outgoing plastic waste today will be a compounding problem for future generations. 

A major portion of ocean plastic comes from the fishing industry. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch exemplifies this, as nearly half of the floating island of waste is composed of ghost gear. Up to a million tons of fishing gear is abandoned or lost at sea annually.

Once left to the wild, this plastic doesn't just create an eyesore on beaches. Large items pose a safety threat to wildlife as animals ingest plastic, which clogs their digestive tracts. 

Humans aren't immune to similar dangers, either. Over time, plastic at sea sheds particles that end up in food supplies. Ingesting microplastics incurs a range of reproductive, neurological, and endocrine health risks.   

What's being done about plastic waste?

Warner has built a plastic museum with some of the waste, highlighting that there is still the potential of a useful second life for "trash." However, plastic recycling processes are highly unreliable, which limits their utility. Warner instead advocates for taking local action by engaging in clean-up activities. 

"People say, 'What's the solution?' Short term, it's beach cleaning, monitoring it, counting it, so people can be aware," said Warner, per The Canadian Press. "But long term, I think there is no solution which is a solution in itself ... we just need to stop using it, if we can."

Using less plastic attacks the problem at its root and helps to ensure healthier marine ecosystems.

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