Campaign against all plastics now

I see that Cerys Matthews, amongst others, has lent her support to the campaign against plastic straws, and good for her! Looking in shops, it appears they are all plastic now. However, someone has defended the use of these items, saying many disabled people have to use straws for drinking. So why can’t we go back to paper straws? Are they still made? If not, why not?

In fact, everything seems to be made of plastic now. It’s not just the use of such materials in the often unnecessary packaging of foodstuffs and other items for the home (scissors are, I find, essential in the kitchen now).

Apparently the Chancellor plans new or extended taxation on some, presumably non bio-degradable, plastics in his Budget. But this does not go far enough. Plastics have superseded “natural” materials. This would be a good time to mount a campaign against all plastics. Apart from the environmental issues, post Brexit it should be possible to develop home grown industries involving wood and its derivatives - paper, card, etc., for the domestic market and beyond. Who after all benefits from these ubiquitous plastic products?

The use of plastics - a by-product of the oil industry - brings profits to the oil producers, based, in the main, in the Middle East. So it’s not just petrol and diesel we rely on sourcing from these countries. The trend towards electric and hybrid vehicles is a move away from reliance on these markets.

So from the standpoint of more self-sufficiency, as well as the contingent environmental benefit, replacing plastic products, coatings, casings for all types of devices and accessories makes sense. This need not be seen as a backward step, more a “back to the future” movement. Roger Kendall Canton, Cardiff