SIngle use plastics are causing immense damage to our marine life and oceans. We’ve seen the videos of how much plastic rubbish there is floating in our oceans. It’s time to make a change and reduce single use plastics.
It always bothered me when I was in Asia about how much unnecessary plastics are used in daily life. When you go to the market you’re immediately given a plastic bag, even when buying a single item. Okay, not the worst offender, but still it’s become a force of habit for many people to automatically give you another piece of plastic even when the item you’ve just bought is covered in plastic. I hated going in 7-11. Buying a single drink, here’s a straw and another small plastic bag, great just what i wanted (not!).
But now, we’ve come to a juncture where so much single use plastics and plastics in packaging need to be curtailed and reduced. We’ve seen the repercussions of our plastic usage not least in our oceans. It is estimated that 5 to 13 million metric tons of plastic ends up every year in our seas. Just stop to think about those figures and how much of that waste is caused by us and inhabitants who live just 30 miles from sea. What effect is this having on marine life I hear you ask? A huge one. Every year over 100 million marine animals die from our plastic pollution. That is an astronomical number and something that we all help reduce, by changing our habits.
Time to make a change, here’s how:
- Say no to plastic straws. Gulp down that smoothie, you don’t need no straw
- Reduce, reuse and recycle. This old saying is as good as today as it’s always been. If you don’t live in a country that has good recycling options, then reduce and reuse as much as possible.
- Live a life of minimalism. Do you really need to upgrade your phone every year? Or buying a bottle of water each day when you go out. Think about how much money you’d save by carrying a water flask or holding off on that new phone purchase. We can live perfectly content lives without new stuff.
- Bring your own bags when you go shopping. With many countries now starting to impose taxes on single use plastics, now is as good as time as any to start bringing your own bags with you.
- Pick up a bit of rubbish each time you go to the beach. Every little helps, and if you see rubbish on the beach why not pick it up.
We can all help reduce this worrying trend of increased amounts of plastic in our oceans. Let’s leave our planet in a healthy state, so that our children and our children’s children can enjoy it too.
Author Bio: Shaka surf are an environmentally conscious online surf store selling clothing, home products and surf accessories. They have produced a great infographic on small actions and big changes for Earth Day. Most of their products are made from natural materials and they tried to minimise their carbon footprint as much as possible in their day to day operations. Visit their website for more info.
