According to the Environmental Justice Foundation, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is now estimated to be three times the size of France, and 46% of it is composed of discarded nets and other kinds of fishing gear.
Aside from the environment, plastic could be affecting the health of humans and other animals. The WWF found that the average person ingests the equivalent of a credit card of plastic every week.
From these facts, it's clear that something's got to give. We must change the way that we interact with plastic.
How to avoid plastic waste
Plastic-free tips
Have you got any tips to share about how to live a plastic free life? Let us know and we’ll publish them on this page. Email enquiries{at}ethicalconsumer.org or post on our Facebook or Twitter.
Here’s a few to start you off:
- Avoid packaged vegetables by buying loose or getting a veg box;
- Carry a reusable cup, bottle and shopping bag;
- Get your milk delivered in glass bottles rather than buying plastics ones;
- Use tupperware boxes instead of clingfilm;
- Avoid coffee capsules which cannot be recycled.
You could also send us your tips about how to have a plastic-free Christmas or add to our plastic-free kitchen article.
Plastic Free Friday
Friends of the Earth have a really good website devoted to living without plastic. One of their initiatives is Plastic Free Friday, a similar idea to Meat Free Mondays, where people are encouraged to give up plastic for one day a week, to ease them into a longer term plastic-free life. Join the campaign: pledge to go plastic free on Fridays.
Plastic Free July
Plastic Free July is a global movement to provide resources and ideas to help everyone reduce single-use plastic waste everyday at home, work, school, and local businesses. Currently there are 177 countries involved. As well as tips, videos and challenges to sign up to, there's a global map of events such as talks, workshops and beach clean ups.