Kentish Express Ashford & District
Warning over boom in use of packaging due to coronavirus
Campaigners in Kent waging a war on plastic waste are concerned the effects of the pandemic may have negatively impacted their cause.
From single-use coffee cups to one-use masks and gloves, those putting time and energy into convincing people to live a more plastic-free life are worried their recycling revolution may have taken a hit.
Before the crisis many small businesses attempted to go plastic free, as supermarkets made their own pledges to reduce the amount of plastic waste.
But as non-essential businesses return, some fear habits could be changed due to a fear of spreading the virus.
Daniel Webb has been using his project Everyday Plastic to campaign against the sheer volume of the material since 2018.
During lockdown he has been encouraging households across the country to take part in his lockdown survey, where people keep track of all the plastic accumulated from their household and food items.
As more cafés plan to open in early July, Mr Webb hopes traders will continue to reduce plastic waste by encouraging customers to bring their own re-usable mugs.
But with coffee giants Starbucks announcing back in March they would only be offering single-use cups in order to protect customers from potential Covid-19 spread, the eco-warrior is concerned businesses could slip back into old habits.
He said: “This is the problem with this pandemic, a lot of people are getting confused over the debate – single-use plastic isn’t going to be the saviour against coronavirus.
“You can still use a resusable cup, there just should be a protocol in place – you hand over your cup, either the trader washes it or you do.”
Margate resident Mr Webb suggested an increase in plastic usage is linked to the oil market; oil makes up one of the components of singleuse plastic, so when prices plummeted globally due to the pandemic, it became much cheaper for corporations to make “virgin” plastic as opposed to recyclable plastic.
He said: “The fact we are seeing a rise in single-use plastic is no coincidence, but we can still carry on doing what we’re doing.” In another blow for the plastic campaign, the Department for Environment, Food & Rural
Affairs confirmed in April the banning of plastic straws, stirrers and cotton buds would be delayed until October.
Liz Orr, leader of Plastic
Free Tunbridge Wells, said people protecting themselves from coronavirus should be thinking about using recyclable materials instead of single-use plastic.
She said: “A lot of people are wearing masks that might look like they’re fabric, but they’re actually made of plastic.
“I’ve been out on my bike and seen them tossed in the verge, so again it’s another pollutant – we want people to wear masks, but there’s so many videos on how to make them from old fabric you’ve got in the house.”
Mrs Orr described the potential move back to singleuse coffee cups as a “setback”. She said: “If people want a coffee and go to any of the chains, they won’t be able to get one unless they use one of their cups, so we’ve stepped back a bit.
“Those companies could at least make sure they’re using the Vegware cups which would be a step in the right direction.” Vegware provides plant-based compostable packaging to the food industry.