7 months in South East Asia and I didn't see a single plastic trash free beach. 4 months living on a desert island and this became something I couldn't continue to ignore. And I didn't even know the half of it.
I was shocked. I'd known plastic waste was a problem, but not really thought about it in real terms before. Even when I had seen litter strewn beaches in the past, I'd not thought much beyond that it was unsightly. But the aesthetics of our species' little plastic problem should be the least of our worries. We are threatening our own continued existence on this planet and we all need to wake up and take responsibility for that. I wish to goodness that that last bit was Leftie, Hippy rhetoric. It isn't.
We use plastic bags, bottles, nappies, packaging, polystyrene, cutlery, etc, usually once or twice at most. And then it's here for longer than we ourselves will ever be. How does that make any sense at all? To weigh up the overall pros and cons of using any single or limited use plastic and come to the conclusion that going ahead and doing so is the way to go is simply insane. Here's why:
Current plastic use just isn’t sustainable – the idea that you are condemning anything and anyone that comes into contact with the plastic water bottle you used 10 years ago to toxin exposure, just because you preferred bottled to tap water, should be more of a deterrent than it appears to be.
1. Cutting plastic bags out altogether – You can take a cloth bag or two with you to the supermarket, or anywhere actually, you never know when it’ll be useful.