Did you know that only 9% of all plastic waste has ever been recycled?

Plastic is hot news at the moment and with very good reason. It is a material which we all use each and every day but one which many of us know very little about. How is it disposed of? Reused? Recycled? Where does our waste packaging go once it has served its purpose?

Approximately 12 million tonnes of plastic enters the ocean every year effecting our ecosystem and those living within in. The balloons which we let sail into the sky, land in the ocean. The packaging which does not reach the recycling plant or enter a rubbish bin, finds itself in the ocean. And you’ve guessed it, the plastic which is not reused or biodegradable, ends up in the ocean.

How can we help? What changes can we make in our everyday lives to protect our environment and keep the planet safe? I have included a few examples of things which we can all do to start making changes; enabling us to reduce the amount of plastic which is produced.

1. Carry reusable shopping bags e.g. canvas Tote bag

2. Give up bottled water and use stainless steel bottles instead
3. Carry a stainless steel travel mug at all times for coffee and drinks (The UK alone bins 7 million coffee cups every day as most of these are lined with plastic and therefore cannot be recycled!)
4. Carry reusable utensils to avoid the need for plastic cutlery

5. Say no to plastic drinking straws. Are they necessary for your drink? If so, use a paper straw. Plastic straws can take up to 500 years to break down!
6. Buy fresh bread in paper bags/no bags

7. Return plastic containers for berries, cherry tomatoes etc to the farmer’s market, green grocers, supermarket.

8. Choose milk in reusable/returnable glass bottles. Use your local milk man

9. Say “No” to plastic produce bags. How many layers of packaging does your produce need?

10. Shop at your local farmer’s markets and take your own containers or bags to carry the produce home in.

11. When shopping, look at the packaging. Is it biodegradable?

12. Recycle wherever possible and remember to separate your rubbish both at home and when you are out.

13. Look for items in cardboard boxes instead of plastic e.g. washing detergent, pasta

14. Reuse where you can for example glass jars

15. Swap tea bags for loose tea as they often contain a very thin layer of polypropylene plastic (something which I have only just discovered)

16. Swap clingfilm and sandwich bags for Beeswax food wraps which are both reusable and biodegradable.

17. Use long-lasting containers instead of sandwich bags or tinfoil

18. Store left overs in glass jars rather than plastic.

19. Use bars of soap rather than liquid soaps

20. Buy loose produce such as cereal, rice, pasta, flour and transport these in your own containers.

Remember that plastic can take as long as 1000 years to degrade and there are over 50 types of plastic currently being made.

Which steps could you take to help reduce this?

Please add your thoughts and comments below this post.

I would also love to hear from businesses who would like to work together to supply produce for my cookery classes with the aim of supporting food businesses and helping to keep the environment safe and as plastic free as possible.

#environment #recycle #reuse #plastic #coffee #bottle #water #ocean #change #earth

Problematic Plastic

Mrs B