Ditch brightly coloured plastic, anti-waste researchers tell firms

Studies find red, blue and green plastic decomposes into microplastic particles faster than plainer colours

Retailers are being urged to stop making everyday products such as drinks bottles, outdoor furniture and toys out of brightly coloured plastic after researchers found it degrades into microplastics faster than plainer colours.

Red, blue and green plastic became very brittle and fragmented", while black, white and silver samples were largely unaffected" over a three-year period, according to the findings of the University of Leicester-led project.