Plastic left behind at local supermarkets
The ‘Shop and Drop Sick of Plastic’ campaign took place last Saturday at Daly’s SuperValu, Aldi and Tesco in Greystones. The Friends of the Earth initiative encouraged people to leave behind unnecessary plastic packaging.
Campaigners collected 728 signatures on the day and were delighted to find that most people were very knowledgeable about the problems around the world associated with plastic pollution. ‘We were all agreed that we would have got far more signatures if people were less knowledgeable and talked less!’ said spokeswoman Jane Jackson. ‘However, it was educational for all of us volunteers to learn more from the general public on the subject. It highlights that we need a change and people are on board with it.’
She said that it was obvious that people are genuinely sick of al the plastic they find themselves forced to bring home every time they shop. In some cases, it wasn’t possible to leave the packaging behind, but people brought it back to the shop after removing it at home.
The supermarkets were friendly and got into the spirit of the campaign, with even some of the staff signing.
They provided bins for people to leave excess plastic behind after their shopping.
‘Many thanks to all participating supermarkets on the day and of course to Friends of the Earth for organising the national campaign.’ Local volunteers included Jane Jackson, Tamara Fiabane, Magdalena VideKovic, Conor Scott, Killian Jackson, Kate Minnock and Charlotte Byrne.