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Last year, our newspapers and news feeds were filled with plastic pollution. With images of straws up the noses of turtles, kilograms of plastic in the stomachs of whales washed up on the beach and a projection of more plastic in the ocean than fish by 2050 – it’s no wonder we are asking ourselves what needs to change.
With the New Year rolling in, it is the perfect time to start thinking about what more can be done to reduce the amount of plastic that ends up back in landfill, or worse in our shared oceans. Here are 5 small ways that can make a big impact on reducing plastic:
Plastic shopping bags, takeaway coffee cups and straws are easy items to ditch. Next time you go shopping, take your own shopping bag with you. The same applies for takeaway coffee and food. There are so many options on the market for reusable coffee cups and cutlery, so you can have some fun with it. Easily cleanable metal straws are available too, so definitely worth a try. It might feel strange at first, but taking your own containers to buy work lunch is a really good way of reducing plastic.
When doing grocery shopping be sure to avoid unnecessary plastic wrapping. This kind of packaging is most obvious when found on fruit and vegetables. If you prefer to still use a light plastic bag to group your fruit and vegetables, then you can reuse the same bags each time.
Photo featuring Plastics For Change, ethically-sourced plastic, find out more.
Even though many items are recyclable there is a bulk of plastic matter that still ends up in landfill. To reduce the amount of plastic that ends up back in the environment, familiarise yourself with your local recycling facilities and the items that are and aren’t recyclable.
Packaging of cosmetic items is an enormous culprit for plastic waste. A fun way to reduce plastic is to make your own! Not only is this better for the environment, it can be better for you. There are so many natural and easy to make recipes for face masks and shampoos, so why not give one a go!
The best thing about talking about reducing plastic is it gets people thinking about their actions. Encourage your favourite brands to use recycled plastic in their products. Plastics For Change provides high-quality, ethically sourced plastic to brands - so asking for this in your shampoo or water bottles, makes a huge difference. Each aggregate action we choose makes an impact, so the more people we have on board, the bigger the difference we can make.
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Written By Jessica Goldstein, guest-writer and plastic activist.
India is believed to generate 25,00 tonnes of plastic waste every day. So much that plastic is entering the food chain. This can alter human hormones and cause life-threatening diseases. Thus, it is imperative for governments to step up and enforce laws to combat this crisis. In 2016 Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) was introduced into the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016. Companies are now at risk of losing their manufacturing license unless they comply with the new laws. Yet with India’s volatile waste management economy, how can these laws become a reality?
To mitigate the ocean plastic crisis we must move towards proper waste management. Every lever should work effectively from reduction to reuse to innovation. When the core elements of waste management are met, a huge leap towards a clean ocean will be made and human life will be improved in the process.
After six consecutive airplane meals, I arrived at the Bangalore International Airport. I had big plans for this trip to India.165 contributors from 26 different countries had backed the Plastics For Change Indiegogo campaign to help implement an ethical sourcing platform for the plastics supply chain.
Increasing recycling rates in developing countries should be a priority of addressing climate change. According to recycling expert Dr Mike Biddle, for every ton of virgin plastic that is replaced with recycled plastic, it saves 2-3-tons of Co2. Most developing countries have dismal recycling rates of between 2-8%.
