I agree, Sandman. Norfolk beaches too get lots of bloomin' plastic washed ashore. I'd really welcome glass returnable milk bottles. I'll always remember that 'clink' at our front door when Milko arrived each morning (fifties again!)
However, I read recently that the Pill is responsible for female hormones contaminating the water supply (the hormones are in the sewage and it's nigh on impossible to filter them out).
Also, children in our village have been warned not to paddle or swim in the Wensum (which flows through here) because of sewage pollution.
Talking of returnable glass bottles, I well remember as a child scrounging around for Tizer bottles etc which had a sixpenny return-sum from our local shop in West London. Anybody else remember doing that?
I can't actually remember anything plastic in those days. I think we only knew of Bakelite!