Every social media website bangs on about plastic this and plastic that.
Why is this material so talked about these days?
According to Eco Talk;
- We produced more plastic in the last ten years than during the whole of the last century
- Killed one million sea birds and 100 000 marine mammals from plastic in the ocean
- 50% of the plastic in our oceans are one use items (coffee cups, lids, straws, water bottles)
Plastic releases chemicals that can harm us through the food and water we consume. If we want to look after our planet, we MUST keep banging on about this subject. We must keep posting photos. We cannot take our eye off the ball.
I have seen article after article of sea animals being washed up on beaches filled with ocean plastic. Beaches all around the world covered in plastic cups and bottles.
My heart hurts.
It's truly impossible to live a plastic free life. I get it! I'm no angel but i have made a few changes and I truly hope that you can too.
For Lent this year I gave up using plastic straws and water bottles. I never thought twice about single use plastic until I read about ocean pollution. I would use around 10-15 plastic single use water bottles a week, that's around 60 a month.
I decided it was time to make a change. I purchased a steel water bottle and decided that if I wanted to purchase water, it had to be in a cardboard recyclable container not a plastic bottle.
Straws. I don't use straws often but if I do, no problem. I purchased some steel straws online. I keep one in my handbag and a few at home.
These two small changes have made a great impact already.
Now imagine if you got two or three people to do the same, and they got two or three people to. Imagine the chain reaction!
When shopping at the grocery store or market I don't use plastic bags for fruit and veggies anymore. I understand that there are germs on the carts/trolleys but I wash my produce really well when I get home. I carry re-usable bags with me too so that I don't accept a plastic bag to put my items in.
I have saved 180 bottles of water and a handful of straws from polluting the ocean by taking this step.
The next step for me to use plastic free beauty and wash products. Good luck to me!!
I won't ever be fully plastic-free but I will do my utmost best to do what I can.
Please speak to your family and friends and start making teeny tiny steps too.
None of us can be totally plastic free but I know we can all make small changes to make a massive difference.
Best,
Alisha