My footage of plastic waste heaped on a remote uninhabited island went viral.

A lot of people contacted me to ask what they can do to help. Here are my suggestions:

• Get involved with groups that are working to end plastic pollution such as the Plastic Pollution Coalition.
• Look for groups that clean up waste in your local area. Facebook is a good way (I searched for ‘clean up Dublin’ and got these results). There is information about global cleanup volunteering here.
• Reduce the plastic you produce. Each plastic bottle you use may be around long after your grandchildren’s grandchildren are dead. Here are 100 steps you can take to reduce plastic in your life.
• Ask companies why they don’t switch to biodegradable packaging. Some drinks are sold in glass bottles, right? So using plastic is a choice.
• Get politically active. Contact your local representative and tell them you want action on this issue. Plastic is only cheap enough to be used just once because the costs are pushed elsewhere, onto communities and ordinary people. Regulation could change this. For example, governments could introduce a tax to reflect the true cost of plastic, as the EU is considering.

Here’s one secluded island where the world’s plastic waste ends up