Plastic…The Latest News…Week 8…Our actions…The Consequences…

 

Individual choices are important and if we all took a pledge to make a difference…it would as collectively we have the power…Consumer Power can be very powerful…

We are at the crisis point WE the consumer have choices...I know you are all busy and have lives BUT sometimes we also have to make a stand…To stand up and be counted…Because if you think that your inaction doesn’t matter because everyone else is doing it…Try multiplying that thought by everyone else who has the same thought as yours…

Individual consumer choices are important as is collective action which can really make a difference.

I can hear you groaning…haha…Like my smartwatch which reads my actions…But consider this scenario…

In England alone, the government figures tell us that 4.6 bn plastic straws, 316 m plastic stirrers ( yep) those itsy little bits of plastic to stir your drink and 1.8 bn plastic-stemmed cotton buds are used by us( YES) you/us are used each year…The government and the Queen have now announced an outright ban…

3 things that we could all do collectively which would make a huge difference…

  1. Check and buy only environmentally compostable cotton earbuds…
  2. Drink stirrers…
  3. Straws...Come in paper, bamboo, stainless steel and glass

N.B. The links are Amazon I am not affiliated to Amazon I just used these links as an example…These items should now be available locally to you and should be easy to source…

But what a difference that would make…How easy is that to action???

Now for the good news stories...or is it?

a stack of paper cups

Compostable cups… are they really recyclable? …Ummmmm well Biodegradable and compostable are actually 2 different things…sigh

biodegradable
adjective
1. A substance or object capable of being decomposed by bacteria or other living organisms

compostable
adjective
1. Something that can be used as compost when it decays.

This means that biodegradable items can break down within the environment with the help of bacteria or other living organisms. But this doesn’t necessarily mean it’s good for the planet. For example, some plastic bags can biodegrade into tiny pieces in around 20 years but they are still harmful to the environment.

However, if something is compostable, it means it is made of organic matter and it can completely break down to make nutrient-rich compost.

The Solution:

Stop using single-use items and choose reusable alternatives. There are so many reusable coffee cups and straws available now. Lots of coffee shops give you a discount when you take your own cup in too! Why not put a set of cutlery in your bag so you can say no to single-use forks/spoons?

I know it means making changes however step up and be counted we all need to do this…

Rivers…They flow into the sea...Do you have a river near you? Is it clean are the fish abundant or is it like this?

Image by Rafael_Neddermeyer from Pixabay

It may be like this as not everything reaches the sea much drops off on the way…SEE THE ABOVE REPORT.

Plastic bottles, the detritus of our throwaway water and soft drinks habits, are the most prevalent form of plastic pollution in European waterways, according to reports and particularly worse due to covid.

Food wrappers, including crisp and sweet packets, were the second biggest form of plastic pollution in rivers, followed by cigarette butts.

All of these forms of litter can cause problems for wildlife and fish and are hard to clean up once they have found their way into the water.

Glitter…“Some major supermarkets are moving to ban these harmful microplastics, but the British public is clear; supermarkets should be moving faster to tackle plastic waste.”

Vanuatu...Has one of the worlds strictest plastic bans…

Vanuatu local band

Vanuatu is an island country located in the southern Pacific Ocean.

The official name of the country is the Republic of Vanuatu.

Its closest neighbours are New Caledonia (France), Solomon Islands, Fiji, and Tuvalu.

The country is located some 1,750 kilometres (1,090 miles) east of northern Australia.

Vanuatu has 3 official languages: Bislama, English and French.

A beautiful country with pristine beaches and they aim to keep it that way 

The above link is a lovely read as to what can be achieved…it also includes damming info on how far behind the USA are on this…I always thought and looked up to the USA as they have led the world in many areas SADLY…Not by tackling Climate Change and waste…

Every other country and government take note…However big or small you are an outright ban…WORKS…

Another brilliant idea…I have just received my weekly “Meatless Monday email and this week the topic is “Fight Climate Change with your Fork”

Lots of great info on how to do just that..some of which I already know and I’m sure you do but there are also some other great ideas please over and have a read…

Even though I bring you the harsh stark facts  think about those 3 small actions and how united we can make a difference…xxx

Thank you once again for reading this post I hope you all have a great week xx

 

 

29 thoughts on “Plastic…The Latest News…Week 8…Our actions…The Consequences…”

  1. Pingback: CarolCooks2 weekly roundup…September 19th-September 25th 2021…Culinary A-Z, Peanut Butter Cookies, Fairtrade Chocolate and Birds… | Retired? No one told me!

  3. Jim Borden

    loved the butts video; reminded me of the great commercial “Dumb Ways to Die”

    and I guess Shakespeare was right – all that glitters is not gold…

    and the U.S. needs to become a leader on this issue…

    Liked by 1 person

  4. beetleypete

    I was in the big Tesco yesterday, and waiting to buy a cabbage as a young employee stacked them on the rack. I asked him why they were in plastic bags, and he replied, “Covid, people touch them, and put them back again”.

    That might have made sense, but I reminded him that they had always been in plastic bags, long before we have ever heard of Covid -19. He thought about that for a moment, and his face lit up.
    “Barcodes then. It must be because the price is on the barcode They need that for self checkout”.

    So, can it be that supposedly ‘convenient’ self checkout is one reason why fruit and vegetables are in bags? I challenged him. “Then what about bananas, they are loose and unwrapped? So are onions, carrots, parsnips, and potatoes.”
    He shrugged, and walked away.

    Best wishes, Pete.
    (Yet again, I had no notification of your post, and had to look for it)

    Liked by 1 person

  5. Dorothy's New Vintage Kitchen

    In Vermont, plastic straws have been banned as well as single-use plastic bags. Before any legislation is enacted, all we hear from the industries are stories about how they will collapse economically if they can’t keep business as usual, whether it was mandatory recycling or now the mandatory removal of food waste from the trash stream. Guess what? Nothing collapsed, and business continues, with the environment the winner. Many national restaurant chains have stopped using the plastic straws even in states where they are still allowed. We still have a long ways to go, but every step is important and shows that we really can do it.

    Liked by 2 people

  6. Pingback: Plastic…The Latest News…Week 8…Our actions…The Consequences… – MobsterTiger

    1. CarolCooks2 Post author

      I think they should stop production of anything made with single use plastic and then it would be easier to deal with whats already here as it just seems to be a vicious circle at times…Manufacturers would then have to find suitable alternatives…:)

      Liked by 1 person

  8. Pingback: CarolCooks2…My weekly roundup of this weeks posts…Plastic, Hemp, Kaffir Lime Marmalade and Chocolate Cupcakes | Retired? No one told me!

  9. inese

    Thank you for sharing, Carol. Sad situation, on many levels. It is an individual responsibility to care about environment – a real chance for each person to save the world. It is all we can do. As we are talking here, a worldwide industry continues producing plastic. It takes years to discontinue and switch to some other products. We shouldn’t forget that there are employees and their families. Some people are making a living working in the industry. It is not only an environmental but also serious economical and technological problem. Meanwhile, we can make changes in our personal lives, and do our part. As I said, we can start saving the world right now.

    Liked by 3 people

    1. CarolCooks2 Post author

      I hear you Inese and yes it would take years which is why action to change from manufacturers needs to start now for that reason alone and many show no signs of that. Yes as a consumer we can and should be making changes but the onus is not just on the consumer it is also on the manufacturers and that industry needs to start making changes now…Let’s hope that the many changes that consumers are making will encourage governments and manufacturers to start making those changes to save our beautiful world ..Thank you so much for your valid comment Inese I hope you have a wonderful weekend 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

    1. CarolCooks2 Post author

      Thank you, Adele…I just think that sometimes individual contributions to what matters and to help us survive are overlooked but they matter and it is a great idea that anyone can adopt …Thank you for the reblog, Adelle 🙂 xx

      Liked by 2 people

  14. Anne Louise OConnell

    Amen Carol! I use re-usable grocery bags, paper bags for vegetables when the store has them (more should be doing that) and a re-usable water bottle. I agree it has to be a total ban on plastic, especially as the countries that used to buy our recycled plastic can no longer handle the volume! So, each time I put plastic in a re-cycle bin I know it’s just going to a holding facility that is overflowing until they figure out what to do with it… but at least it’s not in a river. I really should do more but I am always conscious of minimizing the plastic packaging I purchase and will try harder!

    Liked by 3 people

  15. cindy knoke

    Plastic straws are now illegal in California.
    California really does need to squash Trump like the bad bug he is.
    Our economy is bigger than many countries, and certainly bigger than any US state.
    I went to lunch today with my son, and the waitress asked, “Would you like straws with your drinks?”
    And I answered, “Well I know they are now illegal.”
    She said, “We still have some and we don’t know how to throw them out, so if you want them, you can have them.”
    I already voted for the measure two years ago that makes me pay through the nose every time I forget to bring my recyclable bags to the grocery store.

    Liked by 3 people

    1. CarolCooks2 Post author

      Good for you, Cindy and if they are ilegal then measures should be in place to stop the use of them and replace them with bamboo , paper or glass it is a pretty poor excuse about how they don’t know about how to throw them out ..Can you not report them ? 🙂 xx

      Liked by 1 person

  16. robertawrites235681907

    We were given glass straws at the restaurant we went to on Saturday evening, Carol. That is the first time I have seen these in SA. I don’t usually buy straws, earbuds and the like but coffee cups and lids are a problem for me.

    Liked by 4 people

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