Breaking up with plastic

Three things we can all do today to reduce our reliance on plastic.

For over a century plastic has been revolutionising our lives, and everything from the keyboard I'm typing this article on, to syringes used to administer life saving medicines, is made of the stuff, so it certainly can't be all bad, can it?

It's now universally acknowledged that most of the things that have ever been made of plastic still exist; lying in microscopic fragments on the seafloor, chocking rivers, and laying in piles in landfill sites. It's a grim reality. One thankfully, we've now woken up to, and one I think we do stand a chance of turning around.

Here's three things I think we can all do today to help.

Dispose of plastic correctly

Plastic in lots of forms can be recycled, but it can take time, effort and lots of research to get your plastic to the right place for this to happen. Taking time to really understand what's on offer in your local area is really important. Just because an item has a 'recycle' symbol on it, it is by no means indicative of what should go in your 'recycle' bin. Recycling bins 'contaminated' with the wrong type of recyclable items are very likely to be classed as general waste by local authorities, so no matter what you think should go in it, only put in what the council says it will accept. Council recycling centres and local shops, such as supermarkets, usually offer more item collection points than the kerb-side collection does, and there's also a number of post-off schemes available for various items. Recycle Now is a good resource for information on this.

According to the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM), 10% of waste in England is incinerated, meaning that if you live in an area where this happens, your daily plastic rubbish will cease to exist if you dispose of it with your general rubbish. As recycled plastic loses quality the more times it's recycled, and plastic left to its own devices will just break up into smaller and smaller pieces, incineration does offer a way of taking plastic out of the environment altogether. Of course, the CO2 emissions from incineration are a different matter!

Avoid single use and unnecessary plastic, and care for what does exist

Certainly one of the easiest things we can do, is to be mindful about consuming items where the plastic is just unnecessary, or only used for a brief time, and it's also the area where most shops and products are making changes the quickest. Re-filleries and plastic free items in supermarkets are increasing fast, and choosing these over plastic sends a clear message about what we're prepared to spend our money on. Little changes like choosing a product in a glass jar over a plastic bottle, getting veg from a local home delivery service and taking your own re-usable bags, boxes and 'packaging' shopping with you, does make a difference.

Let's not throw the baby out with the bathwater though, don't forget that plastic does last forever, and that's actually pretty great! If we look after what already exists, swap what we no longer need or want with each other, and try and focus on only buying new when we really, really have to, the flow of new plastic will be slowed. One day I’ll inherit my mum's Tupperware collection and maybe see my nephew's children playing with my My Little Pony's (yes, I still have them) and so that's plastic I can't see as bad.

Support innovation in alternatives

This third one I think is probably the one where the biggest gains are to be made outside of our households. At the start of any product journey to everyday use, is a period of time where it's at its most expensive and least known, but where it needs the most support. There has been lots of research underway for years to find sustainable and natural alternatives to plastic, and we're now seeing products on the market made from the likes of seaweed and mushrooms, rock and bamboo, and while the true sustainability of these products, and the impact on the planet of their production in volume, does remain to be seen, supporting innovation in this area is really important for things to move forward. Prices might be a bit higher now, but with the support of those willing to take a chance and give new things a go, that can quickly change.

Check out our favourite shops for eco home and body products.