Plastic
Useful, ubiquitous and not so fantastic. Plastic lasts, and lasts, and lasts. Ok so it breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces, eventually, but it's still plastic. Anyone who's watched the series Blue Planet 2 or seen recent publicity about the stuff will know that it's now everywhere - either as litter or, in tiny bits, getting into the food chain.
I expect Readers will have heard that, if nothing is done, there will be more plastic than fish in the sea by 2050. And at the rate it breaks down into tiny bits which get into the food chain - there'll quite possibly be more plastic than fish in fish by 2050 as well. Not a good prospect.
So what can we do? Five ideas here.
Buy less plastic.
Look for alternatives to plastic things - cups, plates, cutlery etc.
Even in clothing, look for natural fibres - cotton, silk, wool, linen, even viscose (made from plant fibre, in factories.)
Look for foodstuffs, etc, that come unpackaged. Plastic packaging isn't necessary with fruit and vegetables, they have their own skins to protect them. It just makes shipping them easier. If you can't get non-plastic packaging at your local supermarket, write to them asking them to reduce their use of plastics (if enough of us do so, they'll respond.)
Or, when you've paid for your goods at the checkout, remove the excess plastic and tell the checkout operator (if you have one. Pity the checkout operator, they get all the flack!) that you don't want the plastic so you're leaving it for the supermarket to recycle. (Again, if enough of us bother them like this. Probably a tactic for when there isn't a huge queue of shoppers behind you!)
Or take the time and trouble to go somewhere they supply goods in paper bags - our local fruit and veg market is a good case in point. And it's so much cheaper! I get a good trolley-full each week for around £15. And they'll take the paper bags back and reuse them if I smooth them out, save them up and take them back.
Last year the government brought in charges (5p) for single-use carrier bags. Most big shops are willing to sell you Bags For Life (15p) - sturdy plastic bags (some made from an appreciable percentage of recycled plastic, yay!) These you use, then put in your main bag, or the shopping trolley, so that they're ready the next time you go shopping. What is more, when they finally start giving way, you can swap them for new Bags For Life and the tatty ones get recycled. Come to think of it, many shops will now take any plastic carrier bags and send them off for recycling - if you can't find alternative uses for them.
Reuse the plastic stuff you have - plates, cutlery, cups, bags, whatever. Refuse single-use plastic items. Take your own reusable cup with you (some coffee shops give discounts. We could shop around for the biggest discount as well as the best coffee!) If you 'live' on salads for lunch - try making your own (cheaper) and taking it in a reusable (Tupperware-style) box, with reusable cutlery (you can get tougher plastic stuff, though I wouldn't really rate the knives, or take your own metal set. Camping shops can be a good place to look for lighterweight sets.)
As for Bottled Water . . . Ok, if you're out and it's a Really Hot day, maybe go buy a bottle, or two. Otherwise tap water (at least in the UK) is entirely drinkable. If you live in a 'hard water' area it also means you up your calcium intake, which is no bad thing. There are reusable plastic water bottles available with special 'sipping' mouthpieces (good for when you're on a bus.) Some also have 'cores' in which you can put, eg: orange/lemon/cucumber pieces to flavour the water, or ice to keep it chilled.
If you're going to buy bottled water, you'll be carrying it around with you anyway, why not have your own reusable bottle? Just put 'refill the bottle' into your nightly/morning schedule. Also 'wash the bottle' occasionally! Particularly around the lid and any 'sipping' bits.
Of course, you could just buy a drink of some sort in a slightly more robust plastic bottle and keep refilling that. I had such a bottle of apple juice back in 2016, which I kept and am still using. Which reminds me *goes and fills it for today!*
Then there are non-plastic water bottles available, including metal ones which aren't going to break or dent or whatever.
You might have heard about the strain of plastic-eating bacterium last week. This is interesting, though it will take a while to become commonly available. Also the bacterium 'eats' PET, which is a variety of plastic which is currently recycled (it's the clear-plastic commonly used for water bottles etc.) A bacterium that eats PVC might be of more interest, but it's a start, and a pretty amazing one, considering how long we've actually had plastics.
But whatever you do, Dear Reader, please recycle your plastic as much as you can. Your Local Authority will be able to tell you what recycling facilities are available and what kinds of plastic they take (it varies.)
It is possible to recycle many, many different kinds of plastic (and there are many, many different kinds.) If your local authority doesn't recycle many, get on to them and ask that they recycle more. In parts of the UK there will be Local Council elections next week. Now is a good time to ask candidates for your vote quite what they plan to do about recycling locally. Then chase them up after they've been elected!
'K, that'll do for now. I'm off for my Tuesday swim and wander along the Front while the sun shines. (Will take waterproof anyway cos it's April.)
Y'all have a good, recycling, day now!
I expect Readers will have heard that, if nothing is done, there will be more plastic than fish in the sea by 2050. And at the rate it breaks down into tiny bits which get into the food chain - there'll quite possibly be more plastic than fish in fish by 2050 as well. Not a good prospect.
So what can we do? Five ideas here.
Buy less plastic.
Look for alternatives to plastic things - cups, plates, cutlery etc.
Even in clothing, look for natural fibres - cotton, silk, wool, linen, even viscose (made from plant fibre, in factories.)
Look for foodstuffs, etc, that come unpackaged. Plastic packaging isn't necessary with fruit and vegetables, they have their own skins to protect them. It just makes shipping them easier. If you can't get non-plastic packaging at your local supermarket, write to them asking them to reduce their use of plastics (if enough of us do so, they'll respond.)
Or, when you've paid for your goods at the checkout, remove the excess plastic and tell the checkout operator (if you have one. Pity the checkout operator, they get all the flack!) that you don't want the plastic so you're leaving it for the supermarket to recycle. (Again, if enough of us bother them like this. Probably a tactic for when there isn't a huge queue of shoppers behind you!)
Or take the time and trouble to go somewhere they supply goods in paper bags - our local fruit and veg market is a good case in point. And it's so much cheaper! I get a good trolley-full each week for around £15. And they'll take the paper bags back and reuse them if I smooth them out, save them up and take them back.
Last year the government brought in charges (5p) for single-use carrier bags. Most big shops are willing to sell you Bags For Life (15p) - sturdy plastic bags (some made from an appreciable percentage of recycled plastic, yay!) These you use, then put in your main bag, or the shopping trolley, so that they're ready the next time you go shopping. What is more, when they finally start giving way, you can swap them for new Bags For Life and the tatty ones get recycled. Come to think of it, many shops will now take any plastic carrier bags and send them off for recycling - if you can't find alternative uses for them.
Reuse the plastic stuff you have - plates, cutlery, cups, bags, whatever. Refuse single-use plastic items. Take your own reusable cup with you (some coffee shops give discounts. We could shop around for the biggest discount as well as the best coffee!) If you 'live' on salads for lunch - try making your own (cheaper) and taking it in a reusable (Tupperware-style) box, with reusable cutlery (you can get tougher plastic stuff, though I wouldn't really rate the knives, or take your own metal set. Camping shops can be a good place to look for lighterweight sets.)
As for Bottled Water . . . Ok, if you're out and it's a Really Hot day, maybe go buy a bottle, or two. Otherwise tap water (at least in the UK) is entirely drinkable. If you live in a 'hard water' area it also means you up your calcium intake, which is no bad thing. There are reusable plastic water bottles available with special 'sipping' mouthpieces (good for when you're on a bus.) Some also have 'cores' in which you can put, eg: orange/lemon/cucumber pieces to flavour the water, or ice to keep it chilled.
If you're going to buy bottled water, you'll be carrying it around with you anyway, why not have your own reusable bottle? Just put 'refill the bottle' into your nightly/morning schedule. Also 'wash the bottle' occasionally! Particularly around the lid and any 'sipping' bits.
Of course, you could just buy a drink of some sort in a slightly more robust plastic bottle and keep refilling that. I had such a bottle of apple juice back in 2016, which I kept and am still using. Which reminds me *goes and fills it for today!*
Then there are non-plastic water bottles available, including metal ones which aren't going to break or dent or whatever.
You might have heard about the strain of plastic-eating bacterium last week. This is interesting, though it will take a while to become commonly available. Also the bacterium 'eats' PET, which is a variety of plastic which is currently recycled (it's the clear-plastic commonly used for water bottles etc.) A bacterium that eats PVC might be of more interest, but it's a start, and a pretty amazing one, considering how long we've actually had plastics.
But whatever you do, Dear Reader, please recycle your plastic as much as you can. Your Local Authority will be able to tell you what recycling facilities are available and what kinds of plastic they take (it varies.)
It is possible to recycle many, many different kinds of plastic (and there are many, many different kinds.) If your local authority doesn't recycle many, get on to them and ask that they recycle more. In parts of the UK there will be Local Council elections next week. Now is a good time to ask candidates for your vote quite what they plan to do about recycling locally. Then chase them up after they've been elected!
'K, that'll do for now. I'm off for my Tuesday swim and wander along the Front while the sun shines. (Will take waterproof anyway cos it's April.)
Y'all have a good, recycling, day now!