Scotland bans the use of plastic-stemmed cotton buds

In a new move to curb the growing problem of marine plastic pollution, Scotland has become the first country in the world to ban the production and sale of plastic-stemmed cotton buds.

The move follows concerns about the number of buds being washed up on beaches after being flushed down toilets. Hundreds were recently found on a 100 m stretch of Gullane Beach.

Plastic cotton buds are consistently listed in the top ten forms of beach litter in surveys by the Marine Conservation Society, and Scottish environmental charity Fidra has been working with industry to promote biodegradable alternatives.

Fidra, which runs the Cotton Bud Project in East Lothian, believes there are several hundreds of brands being imported from China and sold by smaller retailers, although most big retailers have switched to biodegradable paper-stemmed buds.

Read full news here: http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-42640680