Catch up on the latest environmental news from across the county with Sofia Akin.
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00:00 Hello again and welcome to Kent on Climate Live on KMTV. I'm Sophia Akin and in this
00:19 show we discuss all things related to environmental issues in the county. How's climate change
00:24 impacting Kent, what are communities in the county doing to tackle it and how can you
00:28 help at home? Each week we'll be taking a deep dive into a new environmental issue in
00:32 the county and we'll be joined by expert guests. Well in today's show we're talking about a
00:38 ban on certain plastics which has come into force this month as well as the state of our
00:42 nature and we'll be looking at World Animal Day. But first tonight, hospitality businesses
00:48 in Kent are among millions across the UK who've had to replace all single use plastic and
00:53 packaging this month. In 2020 the government banned the sale of single use plastic but
00:58 now in further attempts to lower the UK's plastic consumption they've stopped businesses
01:02 from using it altogether as well. This includes cutlery, polystyrene cups and plastic stirrers.
01:08 Naomi Greenaway has been speaking with a Maidstone fish and chip shop to see how they've been
01:12 adapting to the change. Lewis's Fish and Grill in Maidstone is among many businesses in Kent
01:19 which has made changes to the way their restaurants are run. This means swapping out plastic polystyrene
01:25 cups and plates for cardboard and other materials alike. Although most customers do not seem
01:31 to mind the new look, for this chip shop here it is proving costly. As a business it's been
01:37 really expensive. It is an extra cost, probably about ten times as much actually in terms
01:45 of packaging. It has been a bit of a challenge to find an alternative to the polystyrene.
01:51 The new bio-packaging is quite diverse and we need to make sure that it still does the
01:57 job that we want it to do. Despite owners playing their part in reducing plastic consumption,
02:04 some in Kent think it's the government who need to take more action and help fund small
02:08 businesses. But what do customers think? I think they need to come up with an idea where
02:14 that it's at least as cost effective as the existing case as the new one. Otherwise I
02:24 think businesses are going to find it difficult to implement this type of thing. I think it's
02:28 a good thing because there's too much polystyrene in the sea and getting used in the wrong ways
02:34 so if we can recycle it is definitely what we all need to do. In response to the queries,
02:41 Environment Minister Rebecca Powell said in a statement, "This new ban is the next
02:44 big step in our mission to crack down on harmful plastic waste. It will protect the environment
02:49 and help to cut litter, stopping plastic pollution, dirtying our streets and threatening our wildlife."
02:54 The government made the decision to ban the consumption of single-use plastics for businesses.
02:59 The aim, to reduce the rising levels of plastic pollution. Now this means for many businesses
03:04 like Lewis's Fish and Chips here in Kent, they've had to resort to different materials
03:10 like cardboard. There are many challenges with our climate crisis and plastic pollution
03:19 and the impact of plastic and the way we manufacture and also use products and how we are in our
03:25 daily lives can all be improved. So this is just one aspect where we can all do better
03:33 and it's something that's, yeah, we should be doing it anyway. The ban of single-use
03:40 plastics has caused a mixture of opinion throughout the county but there seems to be hope as businesses
03:46 continue to swap plastic, helping reduce the levels of plastic pollution. Naomi Greenaway
03:52 for KMTV. Now around 70 dead fish were found washed up in Herne Bay earlier this week with
03:59 no idea as to what's happened. Residents on the North Kent coast have been left confused.
04:05 This video shows the dozens of fish on Hampton Beach. This video is a little bit graphic
04:10 just to warn you. There were many different types of species on the shore on Wednesday.
04:15 Experts at the Environment Agency think they may have been discarded by a fishing boat
04:19 as when commercial vessels dock, crew often check the value of the fish they have caught
04:24 but will dispose of them if there's no commercial value. Anyone can report environmental incidents
04:29 around the clock to the EA on 0800 807 060. Now one in six animal species in Kent and
04:36 across England could be at risk of extinction according to the State of Nature report. Nearly
04:42 half of our bird species are under threat. Almost a third of amphibians and reptiles
04:46 and a quarter of land mammals are all at risk of vanishing. Conservation organisations say
04:51 more investment is urgent and we need to make farming and fishing more wildlife friendly.
04:57 Birds like turtle doves could be at the most risk here in Kent according to the RSPB. Abbey
05:02 Hook spoke to Alan Johnson from the charity earlier and started by asking if he was surprised
05:07 by the report. That was the wrong scripting. We're joined by Alan now. Hi Alan, sorry about
05:17 that. Nice to see you. So tell me a little bit about the risk that's being posed to our
05:24 species first of all. Well I mean I think this is a long-standing risk and conservationists
05:31 have been outlining these issues for ages but the latest report is really quite stark.
05:37 It kind of demonstrates declines in the abundance of really what we think of as quite widespread
05:43 species like starlings and swifts and hedgehogs as well as a range of species that are much
05:50 rarer and are now at risk of extinction. So the bird that's on the screen at the moment
05:54 is a turtle dove. They've undergone catastrophic declines. I mean I first moved to Kent in
05:59 2000 and I remember them being sort of like fairly abundant, seeing them on kind of telegraph
06:04 wires and I kind of took them for granted. But as a UK population they've undergone a
06:10 kind of around about a 90% decline over the last 20 years. And it's due to a multiple,
06:17 you know a range of factors really. So in the case of turtle dove it's an intensification
06:22 of the habitat that they live in. We're much more kind of efficient and tidy in the wider
06:27 countryside these days and so the seed sources that they rely on, the sort of specific kind
06:31 of foodstuffs that they need are just not there in as greater abundance as they used
06:36 to be. And often the issues that face species are, you know a fragmentation of habitat,
06:41 a loss of habitat and a loss of food. And in the case of the turtle dove it's been a
06:45 loss of food. Were you surprised by the findings in this
06:49 report or is it something that we were expecting to happen?
06:53 No, it's a very difficult industry to work in really and to stay chipper because it's
06:58 kind of like a bit of a never-ending gloomy news really. So I wasn't really surprised.
07:03 There's been some recent reports that came out in the last five years that have been
07:09 quite stark. So one that is often referenced actually is a study of invertebrate biomass
07:15 in nature reserves in Germany and there were some really big drops in biomass, kind of
07:20 80% up to 80% drops in biomass of invertebrates and that's on nature reserves. And people
07:28 will probably be familiar with a bug splatter on their windscreens and licence plates and
07:36 some recent studies by the Wildlife Trust that backed up a study that we did a few years
07:41 ago have shown that there are clearly much, much fewer bugs in the wider countryside and
07:47 that kind of aerial plankton, for want of a better word, so less flies and bugs around
07:53 in the countryside because you see less of them on the windscreen. And all of that is
07:58 food for other wildlife like birds. And what do birds actually do for our ecosystem
08:05 here in Kent? How is this sort of actually going to impact that side of it as well?
08:10 Well, I mean, there are some really obvious and more nuanced functions that wildlife plays
08:17 in our lives. I mean, we need a kind of healthy functioning ecosystem to exist, you know.
08:24 The full range of wildlife kind of breaks down, kind of decomposes materials, pollinates
08:33 our crops. I mean, a really good example is the decline in pollinating insects. So through
08:38 the use of kind of pesticides and changes in land use, we have much fewer pollinating
08:43 insects in the countryside and they're absolutely crucial for the pollination of crops for the
08:49 food that we eat. And what's the RSPB doing about this kind
08:55 of extinction in general and to, I guess, prevent this from happening if they can at
08:59 all? Well, I mean, the good thing is that there
09:02 are solutions and there are things that we can do and we know that they work. So when
09:06 you put a bit of effort in and you have a bit of money, a bit of focus, you've got some
09:11 sort of science-based kind of ideas, you can really make a difference. And there's some
09:16 really good examples in Kent, actually. So the bird that's on the screen at the moment
09:19 is a lapwing. Lapwings have declined really badly across the UK. So lapwing and a similar
09:26 species, the red shank, have declined significantly in the UK. They've lost habitat. They need
09:33 kind of wetland habitats to survive. And we've worked with farmers and on our own nature
09:38 reserves to really turn around the fortunes of breeding waders, lapwing and red shank,
09:44 on the North Kent marshes. So there are now more breeding lapwing and red shank on the
09:48 North Kent marshes than there were back in 1982. And that's really partly, that's largely
09:54 down to efforts by conservationists but also really good farmers like Elmley Conservation
10:00 Trust and others. And it's been a genuine success story. So where you've got effort
10:06 like that, and that was backed up by government funding, so schemes to support farmers in
10:12 those kind of areas, you can get some real successes.
10:16 Well, Alan, we've got time for one very brief question. What can residents do in Kent, very
10:21 briefly, to help stop this from happening?
10:24 Well, I think everybody can make a bit of a difference. I think one thing is you can
10:29 write to your MP or make it clear to your MP that you really care about these issues.
10:34 The polling says that most people do, but clearly they need a reminder of that every
10:39 now and again.
10:40 Thank you, Alan. Sorry, I'm going to have to cut you off there. Thank you very much
10:43 for joining us, though. Just before our break, we've got our Kent climate conundrum of the
10:49 week. Got it on my paper here. How many species of birds are there in Kent? That's how many
10:56 species of birds are there in Kent? Take a guess. After the break, we'll be finding out.
11:01 I'll see you very soon.
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15:06 Hello and welcome back to Kent on Climate Live on TV. Just before the break, I asked
15:11 you Kent's climate conundrum of the week. Just a reminder of the question, it was how
15:15 many species of birds are there in Kent? How many species of birds are there in Kent? Well,
15:20 the answer is 429. So if you got that right at home, well done to you, 429. Now, the Kent
15:28 list currently stands at 429 species according to the Kent Ornithological Society. And the
15:36 latest on the list, an American cliff swallow. It was found hawking over cabbage fields at
15:41 Joss Bay towards the end of last month, which is a potential first for Kent. Worldwide though,
15:47 the RSPB say there are nearly 10,000 different species of bird. They range from the huge
15:53 ostrich which stands taller than a person to the tiny bee hummingbird weighing less
15:58 than an acorn. That's this week's Kent climate conundrum.
16:02 And now, animal conservationists across Kent and the rest of the world are today celebrating
16:18 World Animal Day. Every 4th October, the International Day of Action for Animal Rights and Welfare
16:23 serves as a reminder. We sent our reporter Jamie Levy down to Hythe to meet some of those
16:28 currently in conservation.
16:29 It's feeding time for these Western lowland gorillas here at Port Lim Hotel and Reserve.
16:39 But their natural habitats of the central West African tropical forests are a long way
16:43 from Hythe. Like many other animals here at the reserve, these species are critically
16:48 endangered and if left out in the wild, are at risk of going extinct.
16:52 On World Animal Day, the need for the conservation and protection of animals like Rosie has never
16:56 been more evident. But it's not just here in Hythe that these efforts are taking place.
17:05 Port Lim works closely alongside the Aspinall Foundation, an organisation which rescues,
17:10 rewilds and protects animals at risk of extinction. They've recently celebrated the milestone
17:15 of saving 1,000 animal lives and currently have teams out in Africa.
17:19 A lot of the work that the Aspinall Foundation do out in the field is relocations of problem
17:24 animals, relocations of animals that are not where they're supposed to be, that kind of
17:29 thing. So it could be elephants, jackals, all that kind of stuff as well as the work
17:34 that we do with gorillas and things like that. So some of these animals, if we didn't step
17:38 in or our partners, the Aspinall Foundation, didn't step in, then these animals might not
17:43 actually survive.
17:46 But the work which begins here ensures that the most critically endangered species, like
17:50 the gorillas, are given the best chance of survival when they get back out in the wild.
17:54 Generally it starts here, obviously. So obviously, you know, from when they're born, when they're
17:59 raised, obviously we look after them. They do their thing at the same time. Obviously
18:02 we get them into crates, usually through training them. And then once they're in the crates,
18:07 they'll be shipped over on a big cargo plane to Africa. And then from there, they're released
18:11 into smaller areas where they can be managed and looked after.
18:17 Whether it might be Wild Animal Day today, work like this will continue at the park every
18:21 day in order to ensure that these species can one day live back in the wild, free from
18:25 the risk of extinction. Jamie Levy for KMTV.
18:28 Well Jamie, it looked like you were having a lot of fun there. A bit different from your
18:33 typical day at the office. How was it today?
18:35 It was really good. I did have a lot of fun. It's always nice to do packages like that
18:38 when you're out and just seeing the animals. It's quite relaxing. It was nice.
18:41 We've done a few at Port Limb, haven't we? So I guess, what was your favourite animal
18:46 you saw today? Let's start with the lighter questions.
18:48 Well, unfortunately I only saw a few, as you saw in the report there. The gorillas were
18:53 quite good, quite entertaining. I think they're quite like humans. When you look at them and
18:58 you see them, you're like, that could be a relative, a really distant relative. They're
19:02 really, really interesting creatures. So I say gorillas, yeah.
19:05 Such gorgeous creatures. But a few of the creatures there are facing threats of extinction,
19:11 aren't they? So tell us a bit more about that.
19:13 They are. That's the main reason why they're at Port Limb. They're being conserved at the
19:17 moment. The gorillas especially are under extreme threat of extinction and the rhinos
19:22 as well, as you saw. A lot of their natural habitats are being cut down. Global warming
19:27 is obviously having a factor as well. And the rhinos are actually being poached as well.
19:32 So it's quite a sad story. But at Port Limb, as you heard in the report, they're working
19:36 with Aspinals, which is an organisation which protects and rewilds these animals. So what
19:41 they do is they come to Port Limb and they kind of get used to the environment there.
19:45 They get comfortable. Once they're ready, they get taken to Africa where the teams at
19:50 Aspinals are currently working. And what they do, the Aspinals have about 10,000 acres of
19:56 land, I think even more. So when they're there, they get to roam freely. And it's like as
20:00 if they're in the wild, but they're being protected from these things that are risking
20:04 their extinction. So it's a really, really good project. Aspinals actually have, as you
20:08 heard, just saved their 1,000th of animals. So it's a great achievement for them as well.
20:12 That's amazing. And it's not just something, unfortunately, that's happening in Kent, is
20:15 it, this threat of extinction? It's happening all over the world. And it's World Animal
20:19 Day. So what's the importance of that? How does that link to it? It's kind of just raising
20:23 awareness that this is happening and for more people to donate to these kind of charities
20:27 and to really think about the effect that global warming and other things like that
20:30 are happening, are taking on these animals. Hopefully we can keep going back to Port Limb.
20:35 Hopefully they'll keep looking after these gorgeous animals and hopefully we can all
20:38 do our bit in it as well. Thanks very much, Jamie.
20:42 Well, finally tonight, an East Kent Learning Disability charity is concerned for the number
20:47 of cigarette butts that they're finding on their weekly litter picks. They're fearful
20:50 of the harm that this is doing to the wildlife. They've been working with Shinness Town Council
20:55 with the weekly litter picks, encouraging the community to get involved. I spoke to
20:59 Becky who works at East Kent Mencap and Karen who uses the charity's service and also has
21:05 a learning disability. Thanks for joining us to both of you. So firstly, Becky, could
21:10 you just tell me a little bit about East Kent Mencap and some of the work that you guys
21:14 do? Of course, yes. So East Kent Mencap is a charity
21:18 that provides opportunities and choices for people with learning disabilities. We offer
21:23 different services such as community housing, hubs and clubs. We have virtual services.
21:29 We have complex needs services and community support. We are currently at, where are we
21:34 about on the Isle of Sheppey? Isle of Sheppey.
21:38 And what town are we in? Sheerness.
21:40 Sheerness, that's it. So we're currently in Sheerness down Trinity Road and our hub has
21:43 different services. We do gardening, we do cooking, we do fitness.
21:47 We do swimming. Swimming, yeah.
21:50 And we do gym. Arts and crafts as well.
21:53 And we do swimming on Fridays. Yep.
21:56 And tomorrow I do swimming and move and groove. Lovely, yes. So we do all different kind of
22:02 things, don't we? And community engagement can be things for local areas, it can be local
22:06 events and it can also be things like a foot park as well, can't it? So we have a lot of fun.
22:11 It does sound like a lot of fun and you're also, you get involved in a lot of sort of
22:14 climate initiatives, don't you as well? So could you tell me a little bit more about
22:18 that? You've been doing a community clear up as well, haven't you?
22:22 We have been, yes. So we started the community clear up. We all kind of wanted to get involved
22:26 in our local community, give it a tidy up. We were concerned about the location. We found
22:32 there was a lot of litter in the area as well. So the guys wanted to get together to find
22:37 a resolution or a way that we can step by step change that. So yeah, that's when we
22:41 all come together.
22:42 Karen, have you been quite involved in the litter picking before yourself? What's it
22:47 like? I mean, tell me a bit more about that. Why do you feel like it's important to do
22:51 this?
22:52 Because it's important with looking after like animals, what swims in the seas and other
23:02 dogs as well.
23:03 It's good for our environment as well, isn't it?
23:07 And the name community clear up, how did you come up with the name in itself as well?
23:13 Because we got a book and we write things down what we like to do. And Becky texts us
23:24 all out, like me, my sister, Emma and that.
23:29 We all got together, didn't we? And managed to come up with that name, which we were really
23:33 happy with the end result.
23:35 Yeah.
23:36 Oh, brilliant. And Becky, how can people get involved in this? How can people, if they
23:39 want to join in and help the community litter pick, how can people get involved?
23:43 So we do the litter picking on Wednesdays afternoons. So it's between 1 and 3 p.m. So
23:48 they're more than welcome to come over and join us. If they did want any further information,
23:52 they can visit our website, which is www.eastkentbencap.co.uk or they can contact Lauren Kay, our manager,
24:00 on lauren.kay@eastkentbencap.co.uk.
24:01 And there's, what are some of those things that you say you're finding out a lot? There's
24:07 a lot of single use plastic, isn't there, when you're doing sort of litter picks? What
24:11 would you say is the thing that you find most shocking or the thing that you're finding
24:14 most frequently?
24:15 What did you say earlier? Something about cigarette butts, wasn't it?
24:20 Yeah. When people jump cigarette butts or cigarettes and we pick them up.
24:28 We find lots of cans as well and bottles, lots of packets. So it is a lot of single
24:32 use plastic as well.
24:33 And that's all so harmful to wildlife and animals, as you were saying before. So what
24:38 would you say to somebody that perhaps was thinking of getting involved and wanted to
24:42 help you get rid of those cigarette butts and those single use plastic that you're finding?
24:46 What would you say to them?
24:47 If someone drops it and they don't pick it up, say, "Excuse me, you dropped your cigarettes.
24:56 Can you pick that butt up?"
24:58 And if somebody wanted to join us volunteering, what would you say to that person?
25:02 Come along and I'll help you with it.
25:05 Yeah, people can actually get fined for littering as well too, can't they? Now, just very lastly,
25:12 why are you so passionate about this project?
25:14 Why do you love it so much?
25:19 Because some people are like Becky, are more lovely people. And I love, I like people like
25:30 Becky helps me. She's so light and gentle and caring and, what's that word called?
25:39 What do you love about?
25:40 Passion.
25:41 And what about the litter picking group? Why are you so passionate about that group?
25:47 Because I like helping other people and making sure they're doing it right and they're not
25:53 leaving bits on the ground for dogs to tread on.
25:58 Brilliant. Becky and Karen, thank you very much for joining us and best of luck on your
26:02 next clear up. Thank you.
26:05 Thank you very much.
26:06 Thank you, bye.
26:07 Well, their next litter pick is Wednesday. They do them every single week, every Wednesday.
26:11 But that's all we have time for on this week's episode of Kent on Climate. We'll be back
26:16 next week with another episode every Wednesday at six, discussing more matters relevant to
26:22 environmental issues in the county. But in the meantime, you can keep up to date on all
26:27 things climate related in Kent by visiting our website, that's kmtv.co.uk. You can also
26:32 follow us on Facebook, Instagram and X by searching KMTV Kent. We'll see you again next
26:38 week and we'll see you at eight o'clock for our evening news bulletin. But for now, goodbye.
26:42 We'll see you very soon. Goodnight.
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