It is our duty as individuals to recognise the consequences, but until manufacturers are faced with expensive legislation for not complying with tough rules from enlightened Governments what can we do?
If you change what you buy it will change what is sold. It's not possible at the moment to completely exclude all plastic, but start with the plastic that you really don't need and you can manage without easily.
For example, if you take your own shopping bags to the supermarket (and surely you do), you can have one that you keep for fruit and veg. Don't buy the stuff that's pre-wrapped, always buy the ones sold loose, and don't take the flimsy plastic bags to put it in, keep it lose in the basket/trolley (use the little separate bit at the front) and pack it in your meat-free carrier bag at the till. Or better still, use the self scan doobrey and just scan it and put it straight into your carrier.
According to a recent news report, a lot of people since Blue Planet have been refusing plastic straws in drinks at bars and pubs. Companies selling paper straws are popping up all over and still can't keep up with demand, so they are being shipped from China (sigh). No one needs a plastic straw in a drink, so it's been an easy thing to say no to. And a whole new/old industry is building up in response. Hopefully there'll be enough paper straw manufacturing capability in the UK soon to get rid of the need for Chinese imports. No government legislation - pure consumer demand.
Cotton buds will be next.......
Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
Rasingirl, that's all good to hear, but still it's not enough, we need radical legislation too. We need to minimise plastic usage at every opportunity
People do nothing because they know they can't do enough. It's better to do something, however small. Small things lead to bigger. We have to start somewhere. Governments have had at least 3 decades to act - my boss was talking about Climate Change back when I was still a student - but have not done so. They have too short a life span, too many more urgent matters. This Government can deal with nothing but Brexit, it is consuming them. The previous administration could only talk about the financial crash. The one before that it was the 'war on terror'.
There's no point waiting for Something to be Done. We have to do what we can ourselves if we want things to change
Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
Rasingirl, that's all good to hear, but still it's not enough, we need radical legislation too. We need to minimise plastic usage at every opportunity
People do nothing because they know they can't do enough. It's better to do something, however small. Small things lead to bigger. We have to start somewhere. Governments have had at least 3 decades to act - my boss was talking about Climate Change back when I was still a student - but have not done so. They have too short a life span, too many more urgent matters. This Government can deal with nothing but Brexit, it is consuming them. The previous administration could only talk about the financial crash. The one before that it was the 'war on terror'.
There's no point waiting for Something to be Done. We have to do what we can ourselves if we want things to change
Posts
For example, if you take your own shopping bags to the supermarket (and surely you do), you can have one that you keep for fruit and veg. Don't buy the stuff that's pre-wrapped, always buy the ones sold loose, and don't take the flimsy plastic bags to put it in, keep it lose in the basket/trolley (use the little separate bit at the front) and pack it in your meat-free carrier bag at the till. Or better still, use the self scan doobrey and just scan it and put it straight into your carrier.
According to a recent news report, a lot of people since Blue Planet have been refusing plastic straws in drinks at bars and pubs. Companies selling paper straws are popping up all over and still can't keep up with demand, so they are being shipped from China (sigh). No one needs a plastic straw in a drink, so it's been an easy thing to say no to. And a whole new/old industry is building up in response. Hopefully there'll be enough paper straw manufacturing capability in the UK soon to get rid of the need for Chinese imports. No government legislation - pure consumer demand.
Cotton buds will be next.......
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
There's no point waiting for Something to be Done. We have to do what we can ourselves if we want things to change
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”