New Seabin installed at harbour to tackle marine litter

Video report by ITV News Meridian's Richard Slee

A new Seabin has been installed in Lymington Harbour to collect litter from the water.

Inside is a pump which sucks water out of the bin so that water is drawn into the top, along with rubbish as small as 1mm.

Seabins are already installed at Southampton and there is one on the Isle of Wight.

Dr Tim Ferrero, a Marine Biologist at the Hampshire Wildlife Trust, said: "You do have to think about the location, you can't just put them anywhere.

"This one is attached to a floating structure for example which is important because it sits right at the water's surface all of the time to cascade water into the bin."

The bin is paid for with National Lottery money and will be looked after by the Lymington Harbour patrol who will inspect it and empty the debris at least once a day.

Jane Challener, Lymington Harbour Commissioner, said: "People can't help it. The wind is here and it takes rubbish out of their hands, so we wanted to do something about that. 

"But we also wanted to help educate people and remind people of the importance of hanging onto things more tightly."

Once locations have been identified, it's hoped that more bins will be installed along the south coast.

It is estimated that between 8 and 10 million tonnes of plastic waste enters the oceans every year.

Any device that can cut that figure is going to be useful even if just the sight of it reminds people to be more careful with their rubbish.