One Week's Worth of Plastic

So recently I've become interested in the zero waste movement and trying to cut down my plastic use. I feel that I do not produce a large amount of waste (seeing as I'm a single person household) and thought it would be interesting to test this and see how much single use plastic I throw away. I feel that this photo doesn't show how large this like actually was which also disappointed me because I truly believed I was making a conscious effort to reduce my plastic but evidently I was wrong. This got me thinking if zero waste is possible considering supermarkets cover everything in a toxic layer of plastic. Thankful I have alternatives, such as the market but for others it may not be affordable or accessible. Seeing as plastic is such a current issue why is it so hard to cut our use of them and who is really responsible for such high plastic consumption?

Obviously, the consumer holds the majority of responsibility because they chose what products they purchase and have the power to chose products with less plastics. However, I do understand the some families will be driven by cost and they may not have the option to chose zero waste options if they are more expensive. I did notice that Aldi (in my opinion) had one of the greatest unnecessary use of plastic and Aldi is known for being one of the more reasonably priced supermarkets. So this made me think if retails are ultimately responsible seeing as the majority of plastic is honestly just unnecessary. Do bananas really need to come wrapped in a single use plastic bag? This goes back to my belief that retailers should be held accountable for the unsustainable use of our finite resources.

Here are a few of the simple steps I have taken to reduce my plastic use:
- Bringing my own reusable cup
- Reusable shopping bags
-Buying plastic alternatives
- Bio degradable bin liners
- Buying loose fruit and veg
- Packing my own lunch in a reusable container

Should We Tax Plastic?

Recently the UK government has introduced a new 'Sugar Tax' which means that high sugar drinks have become a higher taxed item. The main goal is to entourage companies to reduce the sugar content of drinks to lower the price as part of a healthy living initiative. This got me think if a similar approach should be applied to single use plastics, specifically packaging. If you visit a supermarket everything is covered in single use plastic that just isn't necessary. I remember getting new toys a child and how difficult it was to remove the unnecessary plastic. My poor parents on Christmas must have cut themselves numerous times.Walking around the supermarket makes me think what actually needs it and the items with less plastic or are biodegradable are often more expensive. Shouldn't it be the other way around? With supermarkets creating over 800,000 tonnes of plastic a year I feel the government should be doing more to reduce waste production.

Image from The Gaurdian

Although the general public should be encouraged to reduce waste, companies should be targeted more in my opinion. My idea is that once a product has passed a certain amount of plastic (so over what is deemed necessary) they should be taxed to cover disposal and the environmental cost. This will make single use plastic items more expensive to consumers which in turn will also encourage consumers to seek alternatives for plastic. This could also result in large TNC's to invest in alternatives that are biodegradable and potentially tackle the ever growing micro plastic problem as there will be less plastic breaking down in our oceans. Did you know that 80% of plastic debris in the oceans come from land? The breakdown of these items create micro plastic fragments which are easily ingested by fish, particularly those lower in the food chain. This also causes chemicals to be released into the natural environment, such as BPA, many of which are toxic to living organisms.

 Not only will a plastic tax make fish populations healthier, but it will reduce the amount of plastic we, as the human population, ingest. We ingest a range of plastics that enter our bodies through contaminated food and water. One plastic we ingest is Polyvinylchloride (#3PVC), a key chemical in plastic food packaging, that has actually been linked to an increased rate of cancer and birth defects. With over a third of all seafood caught in the UK containing plastic, those with a high fish diet have the highest rate of ingestion. One study has shown that those with a high shellfish diet consume up to 11,000 plastic fragments.

We can't also forget that less plastic used for useless, and quite frankly stupid, packaging will reduce our oil consumption which is especially important as we are in danger of reaching 'peak oil'. With 8% of global oil use being manufacturing plastics, it would encourage better management and distribution of our shrinking petroleum reserves as well as reducing global greenhouse gas emissions.

Overall, I feel the TNC's should be held more responsible for their unsustainble use of plastics to reduce the amount of toxic plastic that we throw away and the only way to do this is with a financial incentive because we all know that is the only way to ensure this. I feel a plastic tax will make the plastic alternatives cheaper and therefore more widely used.

Further Reading

• ICIS, Plastics and their impact on human health, http://iciscenter.org/plastics-and-their-impacts-on-human-health/ 
• Teach the Earth, Plastics in the Ocean Affecting Human Health, https://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/health/case_studies/plastics.html
• The Gaurdian, From sea to plate: how plastic got into our fish, https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/feb/14/sea-to-plate-plastic-got-into-fish