How Not to Waste… Plastic
IT’S NOT JUST WATER BOTTLES. Plastic waste piles up in every corner of our lives, from toothpaste tubes to teabags and even chewing gum. Yes, it’s choking our oceans, with seaborne plastic killing a million birds and 100,000 marine animals each year. But researchers also believe that the chemicals contained in plastic may disrupt our bodies’ endocrine activity, which has been linked to impaired fertility and even obesity.
To help you cut back, we contacted adventurer and environmental activist
Rob Greenfield for advice. Back in 2016, Greenfield wore all of the rubbish that he produced for 30 days in transparent bags strapped to his body. By the end, he was carrying almost 40kg of detritus and was “barely able to move”.
Our reliance on plastic is most disturbing, he says, when it’s single use. “Think about a bag of crisps. It takes five minutes to eat it, but that bag will be around for 500 years,” Greenfield says. “Does that make any sense?” It didn’t to him, which is why he now aims to eliminate plastic from his life entirely. You don’t have to go that far. Just pick your level.
ENTRY LEVEL
▪ Don’t just recycle food containers. Acquire fewer of them. Ditch Deliveroo – instead, bring reusable tubs to your local takeaway and ask for your meal to be put in there.
▪ Cheap clothes are often made from synthetics such as nylon and polyester. Opt for cotton, wool or cashmere, which feel better, too.
INTERMEDIATE
▪ Food packaging fills up bins faster than anything – one more reason to avoid processed food. Use cloth bags for fresh fruit and veg and avoid items packed in styrofoam.
▪ Trawl Freecycle or Facebook Marketplace for second-hand power tools. Modern ones contain a lot of plastic parts.
ADVANCED
▪ Clean up your bathroom. Your shampoo, deodorant and toothpaste are often packaged in (and loaded with) plastics. Consider shampoo bars, which require no bottles, and bamboo toothbrushes. Invest in eco-minded companies such as Splosh, which supply highly concentrated cleaning products that you can refill as needed.