Should we ban plastic to protect wildlife?

CONGRATULATIONS on the Mail’s articles highlighting the terrible damage to wildlife caused by plastic. We will never get every person to recycle plastic products properly, so the only really effective way to solve this problem is simply to ban the production and sale of plastic and polythene. P. WILLIAMS, Market Harborough, Leics. NO ONE could fail to be moved by the photographs showing what plastic rubbish thrown into our oceans has done to wildlife. However, plastics have many benefits, and alternatives must be carefully considered before being adopted. Cucumbers wrapped in tight plastic degrade much less quickly than if left unwrapped, so ‘naked’ food can mean more waste. Paper and cardboard are heavier than plastic film, and so transport costs will soar, resulting in more expensive food. For some these are prices worth paying, for others they are not. And remember it is humans who throw plastic away, so it is not logical to blame the material.

JOHN HOCKEy, Edlesborough, Bucks. I AM fed up with having to take responsibility for the plastic contamination of the environment. Consumers do not have a choice as to how the goods we buy are packaged, but are held responsible for how these non-biodegradable items are disposed of. The people who are responsible are the manufacturers and retailers. Plastic bags should be replaced with paper bags, plastic milk and juice containers with glass bottles, and plastic takeaway food trays with cardboard. M. HALLAM, Bolton. I AM not responsible for plastic dumped in the ocean and litter blown into trees. My rubbish goes into the bin. Mrs B. COBBETT, Stubbington, Hants.