Help be the solution to plastic pollution this Plastic Free Summer
Published: 25 July 2023
The Isle of Wight Council and its waste partner are supporting #Plastic Free Summer — will you join us?
According to Recycle Now, worldwide we produce 300 million tonnes of plastic each year.
Plastic can take anywhere from 20 to 500 years to decompose. This depends on the material's structure and environmental factors such as sunlight exposure.
Natasha Dix, the council’s strategic manager for the environment and waste, added: “When plastic gets into the natural environment, it can destroy habitats, kill animals that eat it and breakdown into micro-plastics. We still don't fully understand the environmental and health impacts micro-plastic has.
“The best way of protecting the natural environment and our health is to reduce how much plastic we use where possible, if we can’t reduce can we reuse or recycle it? Recycling plastic supports the circular economy."
There are some simple things we can all do to reduce our use of plastic, reuse when we can and recycle better where possible.
Making just a few small changes can have a big impact on the amount of plastic we use on a day-to-day basis.
- Rinse, recycle, repeat — Any plastic material with food residues on (or in) it can’t be recycled as easily. In order for plastics to be transformed into recycled goods, they must be of decent quality. Something as simple as rinsing out plastic food trays can improve its recyclability and prevent it ending up in landfill.
- Say no to plastic straws — Do you need to use a plastic straw with your drink? Opt for reusable at home and refuse a straw when offered at your local restaurant or pub.
- Refillable bottles — Save money and refill. Recycle Now found that in the UK we use over 35 million plastic bottles every day!
- Morning coffee? Take a reusable coffee cup. Around 2.5 billion coffee cups are thrown away every year in the UK — and less than 1 in 400 are recycled. (Recycle Now).
- Avoid excessive food packaging — We can all try to cut down the plastic we buy. Whether it’s making different choices in the supermarket or choosing a different place to shop, it all helps. Also, loose fruit and veg is often cheaper than pre-packaged alternatives.
- Carry a reusable shopping bag — Since the plastic bag charge was introduced in England, there’s been a massive drop in their use. Many of us are used to carrying an extra bag with us. If you still find it hard to remember, try a foldaway one that you can carry in your normal day bag.
Natasha added:
"Simple choices such as avoiding single use plastic and recycling better
means we can have a bigger and better impact on our environment.
“By re-using and recycling items as many times as possible can reduce our need to create new plastic."