Jackie cut her plastic use
AN ECO PACKAGE OF FACTS AND ADVICE YOU CAN USE AGAIN AND AGAIN
“Never before have we had such an awareness of what we are doing to the planet and never before have we had the power to do something about that.” The words of Sir David Attenborough get to the heart of the current conversation about plastic and the environment. It is devastating to discover that every corner of the world’s oceans, from the Arctic tundra to the depths of the Antarctic, is polluted with plastic waste. It is heartbreaking to watch, as millions did in December 2017, footage on
Blue Planet II of an albatross feeding a plastic toothpick to its chick. Yet it is empowering to realise how easily we can all make changes that reduce the flow of plastic into the sea. Recent research by Waitrose & Partners showed that nine out of 10 people who watched Blue Planet II have since changed their behaviour. The problem isn’t so much plastic itself but the way we use it, as Will
McCallum, Greenpeace UK’s head of oceans, points out. “We’ve developed a throwaway culture around single use that is not healthy, for society or for the oceans,” he writes in How to Give up Plastic (Penguin). “If the plastic crisis in our seas has any silver lining at all, it may be that it provides the catalyst to snap us out of this destructive pattern.” Of all the statistics contained in his book to convey the damage our plastic addiction is doing to the planet, here are two of the most jolting. More than 90% of seabirds are likely to have plastic in their gut, according to a 2015 study by a group of Australian scientists. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation estimates that at the current rate, plastic could outweigh fish in the ocean by 2050.
WHERE I S IT ALL FROM?
Our use of plastics, particularly single-use plastics such as bottles, straws and cutlery, has grown exponentially since the plastic bag was invented in the 1960s. But, says Will McCallum, our waste and recycling infrastructure hasn’t developed at the same pace, so more and more plastic is finding its way into the environment. Only 5% of plastic ever produced has been recycled, and “There is no evidence that any waste or recycling system anywhere on Earth is capable of processing the amount of waste that we are producing,” he says.
WHAT’S THE DAMAGE?
Plastic debris causes the deaths of more than a million seabirds and more than 100,000 marine mammals every year. But it is the invisible harm caused by microplastics that is of growing concern. Microplastics are tiny ( less than 5mm) pieces of plastic. A common source is synthetic clothing fibres, which literally come out in the wash. Microbeads – tiny beads used in toothpaste, shower gels and facial scrubs – are another direct source. But most come from the degradation of larger plastic refuse, such as water bottles and plastic bags.
As well as containing their own set of chemical compounds, plastics can act like sponges, soaking up other toxins in sea water, such as PCBs, which were globally banned in 2002. Microplastics have been found in fish, seafood, even sea salt for human consumption, but the
consequences for human health are not yet understood. A study by Plymouth University in 2016 claimed that microplastics were found in a third of UK-caught fish. Scientists at Newcastle University reported in 2017 that tiny crustaceans scavenging the bottom of the deepest trenches of the Pacific Ocean had ingested microplastics.
WHAT CAN WE DO?
On an individual level, it’s never been easier to reduce plastic use. (There are plenty of ways over the page.) Zerowaste shops, where you can refill containers with detergents, dried foods and toiletries have opened in many towns and cities.
But the scale of the problem requires government and corporate action on an international scale. Make your voice heard: choose supermarkets that offer loose fruit and vegetables or recyclable packaging; write to their competitors to tell them why. Buy from cosmetics brands that offer refills. Lobby your local MP to support plastic-reduction measures in Parliament; pressure your local authority to improve their kerbside recycling; start a petition at change.org or 38 Degrees; ask schools to stop using plastic cutlery and cups. Start slowly with one change a week to shopping and recycling habits. See overleaf for seven easy steps to start with. »