You can make a difference during this Plastic-Free July

I’D LIKE to bring to light a major global movement that is happening this month when participants in more than 177 countries are dedicating the next month to reducing single-use plastics in their daily life. PlasticFree July saw over 250 million people involved last year and this year it is set to be even larger.

Many of us do not realise the impact plastics, and in particular single-use plastics, have on our environment or the amount of it that goes into waste each day. According to an RTÉ programme in 2018, on average, every Irish person generates 61kg of plastic waste each year. That’s 5,500 single-use coffee cups.

As our lives return to normality, it is a good time to rethink our consumer choices and hold ourselves accountable for the plastics we are purchasing, using, and distributing.

The decisions that people make now have an impact on the kind of world future generations will inherit. The move to reduce single-use plastic is crucial to the natural world and the global emissions that are produced. By switching to reusable products, and cutting down on single-use plastics, we can reduce the waste in our oceans, streets, and landfills and help reduce carbon emissions. In the current pandemic, a simple way to reduce our waste is to make our own masks instead of purchasing disposable single-use ones.

I have been working to empower and educate young people on the environment for over two decades with Eco-Unesco. Environmental education is necessary to build an understanding of the world we live in and how we can make a positive impact. While young people have a significant role to play in protecting the world they are growing up in, it is up to each one of us to contribute. This does not mean going 100pc plasticfree, but taking even the smallest of steps to reduce single-use plastics daily can make a huge difference.

Every action counts.

Elaine Nevin

Managing director, Eco-Unesco, Dublin 2