AIBU to think singe use plastics should be banned?

[LunasSpectreSpecs]

Actually, I don't think I'm unreasonable at all, and am sure anyone who saw Blue Planet will agree.

We don't need disposable coffee cups, you can get reusable ones for around £1. When you're buying carrots or garlic in the supermarket, why are you taking a wee plastic bag to put it in? Plastic straws are also totally pointless - if you truly have some sort of condition which means you NEED a straw then get paper ones. 5p carriers should be banned - bags for life only.

In fact, other types of plastic should be taxed too. Christmas cracker gifts - mostly plastic and then chucked after an hour.

[whiskyowl]

YANBU. But you will be accused of being the "plastic police" in about 5 seconds on here. Because on Mumsnet no-one is allowed to suggest that there are environmental or collective harms from selfish behaviour.

[KeiraTwiceKnightley]

Of course they should. And will be eventually. But not for many years I suspect.

[FacelikeaBagofHammers]

I agree, but the large corporations need to do more too.

110 billion (BILLION!) plastic bottles sold by Coca Cola in 2016

[Lweji]

Don't worry. At some point we'll run out of oil and there will be no more plastic. It's a finite pollution source.

[LunasSpectreSpecs]

Don't get me wrong - I'm not a knit your own lentils type. I'm well aware that my car pollutes and that flying isn't the best for the planet either.

But the plastics thing is such an easy win. No effort to carry reusable bags with you or get a reusable coffee cup.

[HuskyMcClusky]

YANBU.

Most people are always going to take the easy/cheap way out, so am outright ban is the only way.

[SilenceIsBroken]

YANBU. We're turning the planet into a dump. Big corporations are in no small part responsible.

[madeyemoodysmum]

Agree. I've just bought a set of 3 reusable sandwich wraps which seem good. I'm going to order 3 more after xmas. I was worried about the bags we were using.
I'm telling kids to buy cans from now on if they want a drink while shopping or we go to a cafe with glasses.

I reuse and plastic bottles we do get and recycle them

I think I ban would be fine and I'd support it.

We need to go back to glass for fizzz like the 70's and before.

[Givemeonereason]

It's just a convenience thing. Lots of people won't remember to carry a bag for life around everywhere they go, or a reusable coffee cup on the off chance they fancy a brew when they're out. I'm not saying I agree with this in anyway but that convenient factor has been taught to us for so long it'll be almost impossible to break unless every single shop makes a change.
I don't know if this is company wide, but my tesco doesn't stock 5p bags anymore, and I witnessed a woman kicking off with the cashier about it as she didn't want to pay 10p.

[Figmentofmyimagination]

There should be mandatory differential pricing on takeaway coffee - like 'VAT' but for plastic, and the shop gets to keep the difference - eg £2:00 if you bring your own refillable mug and £2:50 if you don't. That would soon get people to change their behaviour, while still leaving a choice.

[ChardonnaysPrettySister]

YANBU.

i bought a cosmetics set for Christmas and it had quite a lot of unnecessary packaging.

I will send a letter to the company today.

[madeyemoodysmum]

Agree fig. It needs to be a decent saving on reusable so I'd go as far to say £2.30 for reusable bring your down £3.50 for desposable. Then bringing a cup would be as common as bringing your purse.

[KERALA1]

No brainer. It has to happen.
Body shop had right idea in 80s. What's wrong with refillables ?

Everyone has containers, runs them through dishwasher then fills up at supermarkets with milk, oj, tinned tomatoes etc. It would be an adjustment but doable in this day and age.

[whiskyowl]

"I'm telling kids to buy cans from now on if they want a drink while shopping"

Cans are honestly not that much better. The most eco-friendly option is to get them plastic bottles and encourage them to take their own tap water.

[KERALA1]

Tough shit about convenience those days are gone.

If there's no choice after initial squawking and moaning people adapt and it becomes the new normal.

[StepAwayFromGoogle]

I work in this field (waste prevention). 75% of the plastics that end up in our oceans are from Asia. The majority of the rest from America. So banning plastics in the UK wouldn't solve that issue. The UK's main problem with plastics is littering, which is a obviously a consumer behaviour problem. 50% of the food that is produced in the UK is never eaten and one of the main reasons consumers give for what they throw away is that they don't use it before it goes off. Plastics can protect fresh produce for two weeks longer than without. The environmental impact of throwing away a lettuce is 50 TIMES greater than the packaging it comes in. Paper is actually environmentally more damaging over its whole life cycle than plastic but it's demonised. It's really not just as simple as 'ban plastics and everything will be fine'. It's complicated.

[SoftBlocks]

YANBU.

[ChardonnaysPrettySister]

So, in your opinion, StepAway what can be done?

And what should be done?

[megletthesecond]

Yanbu.

FWIW I rarely bag my loose veg at the supermarket. If I'm only buying three carrots I just pop them on the conveyor belt.

step interesting to hear that about paper being worse!

[whiskyowl]

stepaway - What if we had reusable plastic packaging that we brought to the supermarket, a bit like we all bring our plastic carrier bags these days? It would save quite a lot of waste, while still preserving the food.

I grow a lot of my own veg, and I use Ikea sandwich bags, which I then wash out and reuse.

[treaclesoda]

I agree that it's complicated, but this seems like such a simple solution, and every little thing adds up.

I think marketing has a huge part to play. I make my children take re-usable water bottles filled with tap water. But they still moan and beg for the nice shiney attractive looking bottled water in the fridges in the shops (which they don't get, unless we have forgotten to bring our bottles).

[Allthetuppences]

I use flasks (remember those?) Metal ones. And a cup (also metal). But everyone has got used to everything being available for instant use. It's too late for a culture change unless you can market something well that requires forethought and extra work?

[treaclesoda]

And I realise that I am being totally hypocritical there, because if I'm out and about and have forgotten to bring my own, I do still buy something...

[PurplePillowCase]

yanbu
I prefer paper for lose veg/fruit (can be composted or recycled) and canvas bags and crates for the shopping.
we don't use plastic bin bags at home. not neccessary with wheely bins.
we recycle a lot and are hoping that a proper reuse bottle scheme, like in sweden/denmark/germany, will be introduced for bottled drinks.

[treaclesoda]

I'd say another factor is that people are conditioned to believe that re-usable = unhygienic.

You only have to read a 'how do you clean' type thread on mumsnet to see how many people are utterly convinced that throwaway things are essential for basic hygiene.