We're swimming in sewage

The U.N. classified 2020-2030 the decade of Ocean Conservation, in recognition of the importance of this ecosystem to our very survival. The U.K. was recently in the spotlight for hosting COP26, an international conference that hoped to create a unified approach to climate issues. Unfortunately these events and statements have once again been revealed as grandstanding. Only weeks after COP26 took place, Surfers Against Sewage exposed privatised U.K. water companies for discharging sewage into rivers and seas over 400,000 times in 2020 alone, totalling over 3.1 million hours of activity. This was an increase of 87.6% from the previous year and a mere 14% of U.K. rivers presently meet good ecological standards as a result. But why should people care?

Sewage comes from a variety of sources; from homes and hospitals all the way up to industrial scales. Sewage thus contains many different products, many of which have known detrimental impacts on the environment. Heavy metals, pharmaceuticals, plastics, bacteria and viruses just to name a few . Under normal circumstances sewage treatment plants can help to remove some, if not all, of these contaminants.

But in an effort to maximise profits, privatised water companies have been skipping this vital step and simply discharging sewage in its raw state at the expense of people and the environment. These sewage products have been pouring into the oceans and rivers we spend the summer months in, and the contaminating the seafood we eat. The horrifying dangers of sewage exposure have been experienced in Japan during the Minimata disease outbreak, which left more than a thousand dead and countless more permanently disabled.

At present U.K. oyster farmers have been told to stop selling and recall their products due to contamination fears. It has further been discovered that U.K. surfers have three times the amount of antibiotic resistant bacteria in their gut compared to the background population, presenting a real concern for public health.

Can this sewage pollution be stopped? Surfers Against Sewage are the organisation trying to do exactly that. They launch campaigns nationwide in order to lobby the government into tackling these issues. They released all information about the “Sewage Scandal” to the public and reported on the “Dirty Dozen”, the top twelve companies responsible for 65% of branded packaging pollution. Their annual “Million Mile Clean” sees millions of activists globally showing up to tackle coastal litter head on.

While profits rule many companies and unfortunately governments, power is an equally attractive force. Our power lies in our right to vote, and showing the government what issues would prevent us from voting for them in the future. If you want to find out more about these issues, check out the Surfers Against Sewage website and instagram. To see what you can do, stay up to date with protests and demonstrations happening in the Newcastle area by following @sasnorthtyneside.