Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Families’ plastic war
We’re banning bottles, buying bars of soap to save the planet Footie boss Bill pays up to aid Alfie
MILLIONS of families are turning back the clock and “shopping like granny” to cut back on plastic.
One in five are shunning liquid handwash in plastic bottles and buying old fashioned bars of soap.
And one in 14 new parents say they are using traditional terry towelling nappies instead of disposables.
Some 90% of families are trying to consume less plastic, said the study by parenting website Channel Mum.
Their research reveals plastic use rockets by 320% when a couple start a family with nappies, nappy bags, toys and wipes sent to landfill sites.
Channel Mum eco expert Emma Maxwell said: “When it comes to plasticfree shopping, it seems granny really does know best. We’ve been conditioned to think plastic is fantastic, when in fact it’s a menace to the planet.”
Two thirds of families were shocked into cutting back on single-use plastic water bottles by Sir David Attenborough’s Blue Planet II, showing the impact of plastic pollution on oceans.
A quarter of parents said they had banned plastic straws BRAIN-DAMAGED toddler Alfie Evans reaches out to his dad Tom Evans in a heart-rending photo posted just hours after a court ruled doctors can let the tot die.
Devastated Tom, 21, shared the Instagram image with the world as cash poured to hire lawyers in a bid to save 21-month-old Alfie.
He then revealed: “We have had a massive donation from Bill Kenwright, chairman of Everton.”
The High Court backed Liverpool’s Alder Hey Hospital which said Alfie would not recover from a mystery condition which has destroyed much of his brain.
Tom and Alfie’s mum Kate James, 20, hope a treatment can be found. A Justgiving appeal hit £65,000 last night. and cutlery from kids’ birthday parties and are buying more loose fruit and veg. Half backed a move towards plasticfree aisles and nine in 10 said big brands should work harder to reduce plastic packaging in products.
Environment Minister Therese Coffey said: “Our throwaway culture has to stop. We have a responsibility to our next generations to leave the environment in a better state than we inherited it.
“We can all make a difference and I’m pleased to see that many families across the country are taking up the challenge to reduce the amount of plastic they use on a daily basis.”