Reducing single-use/disposable plastic
72 watchers
Jan 2019
10:33am, 17 Jan 2019
3,325 posts
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run free
However M&S is trialing selling loose fruit and veg at its Tolworth, Southwest branch + will be helping shoppers how to reduce their food waste: theguardian.com |
Jan 2019
4:12pm, 31 Jan 2019
3,017 posts
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steve45
By 2020 the average CAR will incorporate nearly 350kg of plastics ("Weight Reduction in Automative Design and Manufacture"). A single use plastic bottle weighs...I don't need to quote that but the HUGE impact made by cars and other things we love in everyday life is what will ultimately totally screw up the planet. It's great that people feel better for doing their bit (in the war people's railings, gates, saucepans and bowl made of steel were collected for the war effort--later to be found fairly unused in steel/metal mountains. People "felt" they were doing their bit.) but overall it's not going to make a huge change overall. Indeed stopping the oceans being used as dumping grounds is imperative and about basic sensible waste disposal as well as recycling. M&S trialing loose fruit etc !! My local green grocer has always done that!! |
Jan 2019
4:47pm, 31 Jan 2019
1,618 posts
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cackleberry
I appreciate what you are saying there steve45. But we can make a difference. It's just 'one' paper cup, it's just 'one' water bottle - said 66 million people... Agree though, shopping at your local green grocer is better for your economy too so defo all over that one  (and butcher and fishmonger and deli etc)
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Jan 2019
4:50pm, 31 Jan 2019
1,619 posts
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cackleberry
PS. A plastic bottle might weigh 10g x 66 million people in the UK = 660kg of plastic. (sorry, having a slow day at work...) |
Jan 2019
8:21pm, 31 Jan 2019
365 posts
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Jenelopy
I see where you are coming from steve45, and I strongly believe that reducing single use plastic needs to be done in conjunction with minimising your carbon and water footprints and heading towards zero waste. I worry that some companies have spotted that they can sell people things to help them minimise their single use plastic, which often means more things being bought (and not always used). Often we can just dispense with the plastic altogether rather than needing to buy new things with a high carbon/water/environmental footprint. |
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Feb 2019
5:44am, 1 Feb 2019
3,340 posts
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run free
Great thoughts Stevo & agree totally with Jeno This Singaporean lady decided to record what her solo effort difference would eliminate. Her warrior bag contained: - Reusable bottle - Reusable cup - Reusable take away container + reusable cutlery - Resuable silcon bag - Resuable bag instagram.com She elimnated 1851 pieces of disposable plastic in 2018. Assume what she has saved is an average person's consumption of plastic......Multiply that by 66 million and how many pieces of disposable plastic do we prevent going into landfill or being incinerated which has the same polluting effect as a coal-fired power station or being shipped of to a developing country like Malaysia that is already overwhelmed by plastic and has been caught dumping into the ocean? Fishing nets, small plastic fragments and plastic bags have had more damaging effect to the environment. It has been estimated that plastic kills about 1 million animals a year - mostly aquatic and birds. As for the micro-plastic we still ain't sure about its effect except we do know that plasticisers are hormone disruptors. Degrading plastic can leach toxic chemicals in landfills; and recently photo-degrading plastic releases green house gases that are 10-20 times worst than CO2 |
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Feb 2019
8:28am, 1 Feb 2019
367 posts
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Jenelopy
Run free, what you do is amazing. Please don't read my post as critisism of you as it really wasn't intended that way. The people I worry about are those who get sucked into biuying lots of new things they don't actually need so they can be "good" then feel like they have done their bit for the environment and don't need to worry about the carbon footprint of their lifestyle (travel, diet, etc). |
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Feb 2019
10:30am, 1 Feb 2019
3,342 posts
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run free
No worries Jeno, I still totally agree with what you are saying. Now with the zero waste movement getting going am seeing people buying stuff that is not needed to help them believe they are going zero waste. The carbon balance. Anyhoo just sorting thru with organisers and hope to announce a low carbon, zero waste project
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Feb 2019
10:40am, 1 Feb 2019
40,455 posts
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Velociraptor
I was also amused, in a totally unamused, "I-was-on-to-it-from-the-start," sort of way, to see an article claiming that the decluttering movement has resulted in an upsurge in purchases of (presumably mostly plastic) storage boxes and other home organising products. (I am aware that reducing our consumption of single-use plastics only intersects to a very tiny extent with Marie Kondo, minimal living, feng shooey and the like, and has much more in common with frugal living.) |
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Feb 2019
1:26pm, 1 Feb 2019
3,343 posts
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run free
Agree - There seems to be the thought that there is a “set up” cost/new products to purchase for going zero waste, which is kinda ironic. Companies often say to me "isn't expensive to go zero waste.....we'd have to buy everyone in the company a reusable bottle!!!"....
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