A Cornish environmental group has stumbled across several aged pieces of litter, with one bit dating all the way back to the 1970's in a find that further highlights the issue of single-use plastics.
Plastic Free Falmouth came across several bits of retro rubbish in their latest find which included sweet wrappers and crisp packets all of which dated back to a least the year 2000.
The haul included a the wrapper of a 21-year-old Drifter bar dating back to the year 2000, an 23-year-old Asda Farm Stores Cheese Puffs packet from 1998, and a 40 year old packet of Wotsits from 1981.
The oldest piece collected, however, was a packet of KP Outer Spacers which our best estimates date back to at least the early 70's.
Kirstie Edwards of Plastic Free Falmouth said: "My partner was clearing a ditch outside of Falmouth as part of work and as he was clearing it more and more layers were revealed.
"If memory serves it used to be a rubbish site or landfill and sometimes when the rains wash it away you can see the layers of rubbish and pick things out from there.
"We've picked out a crisp packet from 1973 there before so this must have been a similar thing.
"The big thing that we use it for, as we do lots of educational outreach, is educating about how long this stuff actually takes to break down.
"It's history and it's interesting and it's cool to see all the old graphics, but it does also make the wider point about that this stuff really doesn't go anywhere.
"I worry about what people are going to think hundreds of years from now when they go digging around and find all these big piles of plastic waste that we bury and leave for someone else to deal with.
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One of the other points made about the finds, and plastic waste in general, is just how pristine they can be when they are found.
Kirstie continued: "You actually do more damage when you're trying to find a date on them or wash them.
"You can clearly see when they've been buried that they really don't go anywhere."
Plastic Free Falmouth has been going for around four years, however, for Kirstie, her objectives to reduce plastic waste has been a lifelong mission.
"I remember as a kid and a teenager being asked if I had been given community service as why I was picking up rubbish at the time.
"It's not a new thing to me but now I'm more aware of the story behind the rubbish."
Plastic Free Falmouth also do a lot of work in schools with regards to the impacts of plastic packaging and why it's important to care about the environment as well as several community workshops and engagement activities.
To find out more about Plastic Free Falmouth and how you could get involved, go to the Facebook page: Plastic Free Falmouth, or visit www.falmouthmarineconservation.co.uk/campaigns
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