Plastic has very much been deemed as the enemy of the planet in recent years. To be honest, with good reason! It’s made from finite fossil fuel resources, it takes hundreds of years to breakdown, and there is so much plastic pollution in the world that we’re finding it in the animals we eat at dinnertime.
However, if it was such a bad idea, why was it created in the first place? In this blog we’ll look at the plastic problem as well as solutions, ones that do and don’t involve plastic.
What is the problem with plastic?
The problem with plastic is that it is overproduced. Virgin plastic is incredibly harmful to the planet, drawing new resources from the earth each time is the biggest issue. That being said, the manufacturing process isn’t exactly eco-friendly either. We know what your thinking – that’s why we have recycling! But even if we recycled every piece of plastic produced, it still wouldn’t be enough to meet the demands of a growing nation.
The problem with plastic is not the product itself, rather how it is used. Single use plastics are incredibly harmful and more often that not, completely unnecessary. As for recyclable plastics, they’re simply not put in the right bins by us! We can have a significant impact on reducing the harm that plastic does by avoiding the unnecessary and recycling where we can. A global problem, predominantly overcome by two actions. Who would have thought it?
Understanding the types of plastic in your life
We’re tired of seeing plastic grouped as one product that is recyclable. The truth is there are many different types of plastics and therefore many different ways to recycle them. Common enough and easy to recycle are your containers. Think of plastic bottles, tubs and pots. Plastic containers are widely recyclable and often don’t require any special treatment. But this is where things can get tricky.
Soft plastics, like film lids, cling film and plastic bags, these are the items that are difficult to recycle. Often you can drop them off at your local supermarket to recycle them, but double check the facility is there before offloading!
Typically there are two types of plastic left. The hard plastics that are used on kids toys and tech, the durable stuff. That is typically not recyclable at home, but can be if taken to a recycling centre. The final type of plastic, polystyrene, is completely unrecyclable. Often you can’t avoid polystyrene – it usually comes as a protective packaging for any fragile items you may order online.
Your solution to removing plastics
The bit you’ve all been waiting for – how to remove plastic from your lifestyle. We’ve spoken about the waste hierarchy before. Refuse, reduce, reuse, repair, recycle. Now, recycling plastic is the final step, but as we’ve previously mentioned not all of it is recyclable. So it’s important to consider other steps in order to overcome the plastic problem. Our recommendation? Refuse and reduce.
Now, we don’t say this because they’re at the top of the hierarchy. We say it because they’re the easiest steps to take. You can’t really repair plastic after it breaks and reusing it takes imagination, time and effort. So by refusing it from strangers (“No thank you, I don’t actually need a bag today”) and avoiding it when shopping, you can make a big dent in your plastic waste by doing very little at all.
Think you’ve got some more ideas on how to reduce plastic waste? Get in touch! We hope you enjoy Plastic Free July, we’ll be looking forward to seeing what you get up to on our social channels.
