Concerns as a seal is spotted on dumped mattress off the coast of Dún Laoghaire

“The mattress is bad, but there’s plastic everywhere”.

A Dublin-based environmental conservation group have shared concerning footage of a seal floating on a discarded mattress off the coast of Dún Laoghaire earlier this week.

Activist group Flossie and the Beach Cleaners shared the video, writing: “You sometimes wonder what kind of shocking video will work to make people take action!”

We have been sent this clip…You sometimes wonder what kind of shocking video will work to make people take action! We cleaned these rocks by boat and land just over a week ago…we’re going back tomorrow at 2pm if anyone wants to help! 🦭 @GraceOSllvn @IrelandSailing pic.twitter.com/wX6hmH9kRd

— flossieandthebeachcleaners (@flossiebeachcl1) December 5, 2022

Speaking to the Independent, CEO of Flossie and The Beach Cleaners Harriet Donnelly pointed out that it’s not as if the mattress is an isolated incident.

The mattress is bad, but if you zoom into the video, the area is caked in polystyrene, there’s plastic everywhere. The easiest way to get it out is to tow the mattress back to land by boat.

We’re always being flooded with images around the world of whales with fishing rigs stuck around their flukes. We have all of that happening on our front doorstep too, the activist said.

Harriet also pointed out that this area is known for collecting extreme amounts of pollution, mentioning in her post that the group had cleaned these rocks just one week before the video was taken.

Flossie and the Beach Cleaners hold regular workshops on plastic pollution, and are always looking for volunteers to help them with beach clean ups. You can find out more about the work they do via their WEBSITE.

Header image via Twitter/Flossie and the Beach Cleaners 

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