No. More. Plastic.: What You Can Do to Make a Difference
When a whale lies convulsing on a Thai shore (early June 2018) and dies because in its digestion system there are more than 80+ plastic bags, then one really does have to start to think about what we humans are doing to the planet. And most of us I am sure have seen Blue Planet 2… As this concise little books says “We need to free ourselves from the tyranny of convenience” This is a small, punchy book aimed at people who perhaps want to start to take responsibility for their own plastic consumption in a more measured and thoughtful way. Plastic is everywhere, hardly any of it, in truth, is recyclable. The author helpfully gives manufacturer’s ratings and how to identify what can and can’t be recycled but you would probably need to take the book and its table with you to really understand the issues at hand. Some schools in the UK, says the author, use plastic cutlery and plates for lunch. Honestly, why would you do that? Who could possibly suggest that that is a good way to encourage a healthy way of eating in children? Where’s the pleasure? Snapped forks with prongs missing, bendy plates – these are functional tools, but do not make for a pleasurable eating experience (positive eating messsages with growing obesity issues are surely important?). More to the point, it’s all bad for the environment. Plastic water bottles are a no-no…. there is no need, as there are so many places to refill your portable bottles. Straws will outlive you. According to the #2minutebeachclean app 4.25% of beach litter is straws and plastic cutlery. The author encourages you to take a look around a typical supermarket, why plastic wrap cucumbers or oranges? They have ready made skins for protection. He suggests taking recyclable containers to counters at your local supermarket to buy loose produce is one way forward. Clothes, with synthetic fibres, shed at the drop of a hat, wet wipes have plastic components and will last and last, nappies and plastic tampon applicators will all be around for years and years to come. Tea bags? Ever wondered why they never really compost down? That’s because the bags contain plastic! This book just touches on the problems of plastic waste but addressing the problem of plastic (we’ve all seen David Attenborough wading through ocean plastic) surely has to be high up the list. There are facts and statistics galore in the book which make for sobering reading. Why can’t we have bottle deposit schemes?