Plasticis notso fantastic

The consumer culture that prevails around us makes huge pollution and the occurrence of plastic waste.

But we often don’t see the problems that the choices we make have on the environment.

It could, rightly, be thought that making sure we put things in the rubbish, or take the time to split our waste into recycling, is enough and that we are doing our bit.

And in doing so, we are. But there is more that can be done.

What if we didn’t use plastic bags at all?Or if we took our own cups to the cafe for a takeaway? What about shopping locally and shopping only for what we need, instead of shopping in bulk from supermarkets, where so much produce comes needlessly covered in plastic?

The top six global firms sell two million tonnes of plastic bottles a year, none of them have committed to reduce the amount they sell.

Bottling water and shipping transport is the least energy efficient method of water supply in the history of mankind.

Although the possibility of buying bottled water is simple and convenient for you, think about the impact on the environment.

We can all make decisions and changes today that will help take care of the environment and the future of our children.

Here are a few facts about plastic waste that might make you think twice before grabbing another poly bag:

Plastic bottles require up to 700 years to dissolve

90 per cent of the cost of bottled water is the bottle itself

80 per cent of plastic bottles never get recycled

Just 6.6 per cent of the plastic used in bottles is recycled

15,000,000 dropped as litter, landfilled or incinerated

233,000 tonnes of CO2 produced from landfill or incineration

£778m was spent on clearing plastic litter and enforcing laws in 2015/16

There are more than five TRILLION plastic pieces afloat in our oceans, weighing more than 250,000 tonnes