There is no doubt that the contribution of plastic waste causes harm for the environment, and as single-use plastic consumers we are all accountable. That’s why we are supporting Plastic Free July this month, and we’re hoping we can encourage the residents of Elmbridge to make small steps towards potentially huge changes.
Plastic is everywhere – it’s in the water we drink, the air we breathe and in the food we eat. The lifecycle of plastics also has indirect negative impacts on climate change without visible consequences. For example, the extraction and production of plastic alone accounts for about 6% of global oil consumption, with the prediction of this reaching a staggering 20% by 2050. As the production process for plastics is energy intensive, it generates vast amounts of greenhouse gases.
Did you know?
- 79% of plastic that has ever been made still sits in landfills or within the natural environment
- 14 million tons of plastic end up in our oceans every year
- Less than 9% of all plastic gets recycled
- 1 million marine animals are killed by plastic every year
Single use plastic is a large problem that most of us are partly responsible for, but we can also be responsible for enabling positive change. Reducing our single use plastics can help us limit the extent of climate change and its impacts, and lessening usage and overall demand will allow for a decreased need for production, consequently reducing plastic pollution. We can all do our bit – small changes can have massive results!
What can you do?
- Use a refillable bottle: If just 1 in 10 people in the UK refilled just once a week, we’d save around 340 million plastic bottles a year!
- Swap your disposable cup: Using a sustainable reusable cup is the ideal alternative – keep one in your bag or car so it’s always available!
- Buy plastic free cleaning products: It’s worth knowing that bulk food stores often provide refillable cleaning products, and why not try some chemical free options or even homemade alternatives!
- Celebrate in style: Change your plastic balloons to eco alternatives. Get creative and use reusable decorations like bunting and pom poms!
- Choose a bar of soap: Using a bar of soap or a shampoo bar instead of liquid hand soap or body wash could save 1.4 million bottles a year in the UK!
- Avoid pre-packaged foods: Choosing bulk or loose food will help, buying only what you need will help to prevent food waste.
- Bring your own bags: Please ensure to bring your own reusable shopping bags to the supermarket, as an astonishing 496 million single use plastic bags were sold by retailers between 2021 and 2022.
- Conduct a ‘bin audit’: Keep track of your weekly waste and discover what could be recycled or composted. Are there any single use plastics that you threw away that you could have avoided having in the first place?
Learn more about Plastic Free July and see how you can get involved.
Sustainable Elmbridge provides more information on how we are striving towards a greener future in the borough.