No plastic, No waste, No problem!
Eco-friendly hotel worker Adele Morgan is so green that she doesn’t even own a bin and can fit all her monthly rubbish in a single jam jar
WHEN Adele Morgan watched a film called A Plastic Ocean last year she vowed to change her life. The 23-year-old hotel worker from Penryn in Cornwall had studied marine biology at Cornwall College and says the documentary, which follows the work of researchers investigating the amount of microplastics in the North Pacific, inspired her to take the first steps on what has been a remarkable journey.
“I learnt all about pollution but it never really sank in,” says Adele. “I saw a screening of A Plastic Ocean and it opened my eyes to how bad the plastic pollution issue really is. Last August I started researching and I made a list of all the things I wanted to change.”
That list has resulted in what she calls a “zero waste lifestyle”.
“The aim is to eliminate sending waste to landfill and to prevent our trash from entering the environment,” she says. “By taking little steps to reduce our impact we can make a massive difference.”
Since January she has been detailing her efforts in a blog, Minimal Impact Kernow [Cornish for Cornwall] and the results have been spectacular. This week she posted a picture of all the landfill waste she generated in February and her entire monthly rubbish fitted into a small mason jar.
“My landlady and landlord think it’s brilliant and they are trying to be as eco-friendly as possible,” she says. “My friends and family have even started to use less plastic and find alternatives.”
But if achieving such a radical lifestyle change seems daunting, Adele insists that by simply making a few modifications to the way we think we can all drastically reduce the amount we throw out.
“Before I went zero waste I bought and chucked out so much trash and didn’t even think about it,” she explains. “I grew up around single-use plastics and other disposables. I was addicted to buying stuff just because I wanted it and it got used for very short periods of time before ending up in landfill.
“As humans we are drawn to buying shiny new products due to advertisements and a majority of these items are plastic-based. It wasn’t until I watched A Plastic Ocean that it finally hit me. Every single item of plastic we use will remain on the Earth for ever.”
The scale of the plastic pollution problem has become a tangible threat to the environment with the marine ecosystem especially at risk. Around eight million tonnes of plastic are leaked into the oceans each year, much of which eventually enters the food chain after being ingested by birds, fish and other organisms. Experts believe that by 2050 the ocean will contain more plastic by weight than fish.
ADELE’S steps to living a plastic-free life include spurning packaged supermarket food in favour of her local greengrocer, where fruit and vegetables can be bought loose, as well as buying food from bulk stores.
“Once a month I go by train to Penzance and do a massive monthly shop at The Weigh Inn. It’s a shop where you can buy in bulk and I take my own bags,” she says. “Sometimes I take my pillow cases and fill them with rice and pasta. I don’t buy anything in packaging. It has taken me a while and it involves a lot of research on where to find certain things.”
She has also ditched plastic straws in favour of a reusable stainless steel alternative and stores all of her food in glass jars, which she buys from charity shops. Food waste is composted, plastic cotton buds have been replaced by bamboo equivalents, handwash and hair care products have been ditched for bars of soap and shampoo and she has even swapped traditional cleaning products for home-made alternatives.
“You can use distilled white vinegar for cleaning and if you save the peel of an orange or lemon and leave it in the vinegar for a couple of weeks it will stop the smell,” she reveals.
But Adele, who also volunteers for the Cornish Wildlife Trust and will take up a position with the National Trust as a visitor assistant at the beaches of Chapel Porth and Godrevy this summer, doesn’t claim to be perfect – and despite the astonishing progress she has made she believes there is still much more to be done.
“The hardest part has been finding alternatives for certain items such as food. Not everyone has access to unpackaged wholefood bulk stores but I suggest that you buy the product in the biggest package available if you can’t find unpackaged whole foods.
“I am still using up a lot of products from before I started this journey which creates a lot of waste. It was difficult at first but once I started researching and found alternatives it got much easier.”
And her advice for anyone wishing to cut down on the amount of rubbish they generate is simple.
“Start with the basics,” she says. “Stop using plastic carrier bags, plastic straws, disposable water bottles, disposable coffee cups and use alternatives.
“Analyse what’s in your bin and compost food waste. There is also a community of zero wasters on Facebook who hold so much information – and of course read the beginner’s guide on my blog. And most importantly don’t give up.”