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We don't need Theresa May to tell us how to save the world!
Thursday 11th January 2018 | Grace
Theresa May announced earlier this week her plan to eradicate un-needed plastic waste from products in the UK by 2042.
The move has come after the large-scale implications of plastic which have become apparent through the many viral videos that have been circling the web. Showing the full extent of plastic in the world’s oceans. These strategies, which hope to stop the extent of the problem, include having plastic free aisles in supermarkets as well as continuing to charge for coffee cups and plastic shopping bags.
However, although enforcing these rules on a bigger scale will have a much greater impact on the world, overall in terms of consumer buying it is down to us as individuals to make a positive difference too. So, here is what we can do to make sure we are not adding to the mess that the world is already in.
Be more conscious
This doesn’t take a lot of effort, just a little. And that little effort can go a long way. Doing small stuff like taking a reusable cup with you for that daily latte will stop 365 cups from being thrown away each year alone. And your latte will taste all that better knowing it comes with a dash of smugness sprinkled on top.
Take the time to research
If you can spend 2 hours on a YouTubeloopholee, you can spend 10 minutes looking into the best shampoo bar to use for your hair type, rather than buying one that comes into a plastic bottle every month. Even if that plastic bottle ends up in recycling, plastic can actually only be recycled a certain number of times anyway.
Join a zero-waste Facebook group
There are so many of them that they have thousands of members who post new and interesting ideas each day about stuff you don’t even think about. And they are genuinely great for thinking up new ways to re-use products that you have laying around the house, they don't just say stupid things like “turn your old coat hangers into onion stands”.
Re-use and fix stuff
Made too much food for dinner? Have it for lunch the next day. Keep getting those boxes from takeaways? Use them to keep pencils in or something. The handle came off your favourite cult hit TV show mug? So, glue it back on! It really is that simple.
Think before you buy
With zero waste ideas being as popular as ever, there are plenty of zero packet shops around where you can supply your own packaging to put the products you want in. Buy fruit and veg loose, and if that feels like too much effort, get it delivered by a local farm shop. Learn to cook and there will be no need for those package heavy ready meals because your own cooking will taste just as good as mama used to make.
If we all came together with our own zero waste plans we wouldn’t have to wait 25 years to have a plastic-free ocean. And we wouldn’t all be sat blubbing in front of the TV watching a dolphin mother drag around its dead baby that had been killed by plastic poisoning on BBC’s Blue Planet II. And most importantly, we wouldn’t have to rely on the government to make decisions for us that are so obvious in the first place.
