The Dangers of Single-Use-Plastic
What on earth are we going to do about single-use plastic that is destroying our planet and wildlife in our oceans?
Every day, there are terrible stories about what plastic is doing to our planet, our oceans and our own health. However, there are a few people who are dedicating their lives to saving the planet for the next generation. A 51-year-old Frenchman, Ben Lecomte, has embarked on a 9,000km swim, from Tokyo to San Francisco, to draw attention to a collection of plastic waste in the ocean between California and Hawaii. He will battle giant waves, jellyfish and shark-infested waters to raise awareness of how we are polluting our oceans.
We have all seen photographs of whales, dolphins and fish that have choked to death after swallowing plastic bags that someone has just thrown into the sea. However, the photograph that showed the male pilot whale fighting for its life on the beach of southern Thailand – was a real eye-opener as to how huge this problem is. Rescuers tried to keep the whale alive by using buoys to keep it afloat, but it was all in vain. The small whale finally died and an autopsy revealed that it had 80 plastic bags, weighing up to eight kilogrammes, in its stomach! Unfortunately, this is not an isolated case, but is happening every single day in our oceans. In Thai waters alone, at least 300 marine animals, including pilot whales, dolphins and sea turtles, perish each year after ingesting plastic. It is so terribly sad, especially when you see dolphins and whales close up, as we did in Croatia, and realise what a wonderful life they could have, if it weren’t for us.
I noticed that in supermarkets, in England, almost everything was sold in plastic containers or covered in plastic. There was no loose fruit or vegetables – absolutely everything was covered in plastic and, within one week, my mother and I had filled three huge plastic refuse bags. As there was not a plastic rubbish bin nearby, where you can throw it away on a daily basis, it was possible to see just how much plastic we were using – for two people. It was shocking. Maybe we should all make more of an effort to go to the market to buy our fruit and vegetables, where they don’t cover everything in plastic. However, for many people, this is just not possible.
Some people are trying to do their bit to help the environment, including the British Royal Family. Throwaway plastic is the last straw for our queen as she has banished plastic water bottles and straws in all her estates. Water will only be served in glass bottles and canteens will only use china plates, glasses and recyclable paper cups. Prince Charles can often be seen on television talking about the dangers of single-use plastic and Scotland plans to ban straws and plastic cotton buds, which are extremely dangerous for turtles, from next year. It also wants to introduce a deposit scheme on all plastic bottles. In my opinion, the deposit should be at least one euro to make sure that people think twice before throwing their bottles into the sea. Sir David Attenborough, the Queen’s friend, highlights the problem of plastic pollution in the oceans in a fantastic BBC series called Blue Planet II. It is really worth watching.
Finally, maybe it is time to get rid of plastic mineral water bottles altogether. Latest research has discovered that nearly all mineral water bottles have small amounts of plastic in the water, which could cause cancer. Many scientists agree that they have no idea what effect this will have on our health in the future. Anyway, the tap water, here in Austria, is so good we could all try to use a refillable bottle with this pure water. I, for one, am going to live a life without plastic for the next few weeks.