Fight the plastic peril!

What’s the problem with plastic?

Check your home and notice how much plastic is present. Furniture, clothing, toys, food and drink containers, even tea bags; plastics are used everywhere as they are durable and resistant to degradation. But these properties also make them nearly impossible for nature to break down. We have become dependent on single-use plastic products; half of all plastic produced is designed to be used once then becomes litter in rivers and subsequently oceans, or as waste going to incineration producing carbon emissions or landfill where it may become harmful microplastics.

Annually UK households throw away 100 billion pieces of plastic packaging, recycling less than 12%. Most plastic items never disappear; they transform into microplastics in the air and water which we absorb into our bodies through inhalation and through food and drink. Recent studies found microplastics in every human placenta tested. Research into the impact on our health is ongoing but already shows that microplastics cause inflammation in body tissues and microplastics found in our blood vessels are linked to obstructions. It is thought that the increase of microplastics in our tissues could explain increases in health problems, including inflammatory bowel disease, colon cancer and declining sperm counts.

Just as microplastics impact on human health, they also impact on animal and plant life globally. Microplastics have spread across the planet, from the summit of Mount Everest to 100s of million tonnes of plastic currently found in our oceans.

From 1950 to 1970 plastic production was low so waste was relatively manageable.

Since then the rate of plastic production has grown faster than that of any other material. If these trends continue, global production of plastic is forecast to reach 1,100 million tonnes by 2050. 98 per cent of single-use plastic products are produced from fossil fuel. Greenhouse gas emissions associated with the production, use and disposal of plastics is forecast to grow to 19 per cent of the global carbon budget by 2040.

So what can be done nationally / globally?

Globally, governments can legislate to reduce this level of plastic waste. The UK has succeeded in eliminating some plastic products where there are more sustainable alternatives e.g. plastic straws and single use plastic bags although this isn’t enough. Governments should now regulate to encourage companies to promote innovation so plastics we need are designed to allow for their reuse and ensure we circulate plastic in the economy for longer, but change is resisted and so becomes slow, for example the deposit return scheme for plastic bottles has been delayed again.

Currently, world leaders are negotiating The Global Plastics Treaty; an international legal agreement to prevent the harmful impacts of plastic. The UK government has a powerful position on the world stage, and needs to champion bold, decisive action to end the age of plastic.

What can we do?

This isn’t about feeling guilty about the amount of plastic we use, but rethinking our consumption of single-use plastic and finding simple swaps and sustainable alternatives.

1. Aim for a zero plastic-waste lifestyle:

  • Invest in sustainable products – reusable coffee mugs, water bottles and food wraps.
  • Consider options like bamboo toothbrushes, solid shampoo and shower bars, and refillable deodorants and toothpaste.
  • Choose food with no plastic packaging, carry a reusable fabric bag and refill containers.
  • Use the free Refill app which has a guide of local shops, cafes and restaurants which offer refillable products and will refill your water bottle for free.

Locally we have zero-waste shops:

  • What Planet Are You On, Guisborough
  • Earth Unwrapped, Northallerton
  • Off The Scale, Castleton
  • Roots Farm Shop, East Rounton
  • Refill Weigh Save, Billingham

2. Advocate for change

Single use plastics are found in garden centres, hotels, restaurants and supermarkets. Be an advocate for change by asking businesses and suppliers to find alternatives for single use plastic. Also contact your MP and local decision makers.

Currently there are campaigns against single use plastics being run by the following organisations:

  • Keep Britain Tidy
  • Greenpeace
  • City to Sea (Refill)
  • United Nations Foundation

3. Clean up together

Plastic waste is gathering and polluting all our outdoor spaces – coastlines, rivers, canals, woodlands, parks, streets. Several environmental groups organise beach cleans, river cleans and urban / rural litter picks where you can get together with like minded people, enjoy some company, get some exercise and benefit the environment and fight biodiversity loss.

Have a look on social media / internet search for litter picks and beach clean events with these groups:

  • The Wombles of Hambleton
  • Yorkshire Wildlife Trust
  • Surfers Against Sewage

CASaV Leaflets

This page is also available as one of a series of CASaV Leaflets, so you can download a printable pdf here – double sided tri-fold leaflet or an editable version which you can make your own and use for your group – OpenOffice document.