to think concern about single use plastics has gone out the window?

[RaspberryCoulis]

A couple of years ago you couldn't move for people banging on about single use plastics and how litter was drowning the planet. Now all concern has gone out of the window with people clamouring to buy disposable wipes, disposable masks (containing plastic) disposable plastic gloves, bottles of bleach, hand sanitiser, thousands of lateral flow kits which are entirely plastic, coffee shops refusing to use customers' cups for refills.... My kids' school banned access to the water fountain to refill bottles "because of covid" and suggested they buy a fresh plastic bottle each say.

It's like the last 5 years didn't happen. Yes some of it is unavoidable like the lateral flow tests - there is no plastic-free alternative. But it seems fairly pointless to have switched to bar soap and shampoo bars when people are going through disposable wipes like nobody's business. The number of masks and gloves I see discarded in the streets is shocking.

Yanbu it's terrible. It breaks my heart.

I have thought exactly the same

Yep. The challenge of covid is going to be nothing in comparison to the challenge of climate change. And it's entirely our fault yet nothing is done.

I had to take a lateral flow test the other day and there was so much plastic involved.

Masks are littering everywhere.

It's very depressing.

Climate change is a related but separate issue to litter and single use plastic though.

The idea that single use and disposable is healthy, safe, clean has been very firmly planted in some peoples heads.i

Argh yes the waste with lateral flow tests is shocking! Yet if I were to dare say I’m not testing my kids twice weekly with the things then I’m selfish! Quite frankly I think the danger to my kids won’t be COVID it’ll be the plastic mountain we’re creating with these ridiculous kits.

Humans are all about immediacy. It's hard to worry about something in the future when there's such a massive problem in the present.

We will get back on track once COVID has passed.

I think it depends on your own choices, other than lateral flow tests for work my plastic use hasn't changed. I take my reusable water bottle out with me, I use cotton washable masks, hand gel we've bought a giant bottle and a couple of little ones on carabinas that we refill. We don't use cling film, I rarely bought coffee out and if I did it was in a café in a china cup (obviously not possible at the moment), if I want to take a hot drink with me I make it at home. Recycle as much as possible, walk to work and nursery, DH cycles as his office has actually moved closer, although he has to drive on prison days (work he's not been convicted) and we've actually gone from two cars to one due to the office relocation. I wouldn't even say I'm particularly deliberately environmentally conscious it's just how we live our life, that wasn't going to suddenly change unnecessarily. A lot of people before were just virtue signalling in public and using a load of plastic anyway.

Not sure tests and PPE can be helped, although disposal is a concern?

Covid is a multi-faceted nightmare

But it seems fairly pointless to have switched to bar soap and shampoo bars when people are going through disposable wipes like nobody's business
It's not pointless. The cleaning is far superior😁 so something positive.

I get what you mean though. The problem isn't even the plastic itsepf but the inability of large part of population to use their brain and properly dispose of it. And governments for often lacking in recycling.

Totally agree. Just look at the packaging on the bloody LF tests, and all the discarded masks everywhere.

i used to work in plastics,the speed that stuff is turned out is mindnumbing it was big stuff for the car industry how long would you think it took to make a bumper ?? give up. 63seconds from start to finish 24/7 frightening isn't it.

second hand covid test anyone?

Who said anything about second hand tests? Agree that the amount of plastic in them is crazy.

I'm so happy to live in a large town where everything gets recycled and nothing goes to landfill.
If rubbish is just general rubbish then it goes to an adapted incinerator where the waste, and most of its pollutant gases are recycled into energy to provide power equivalent to around 150,000 thousand homes.
Our council is rare in its approach, I know, but it would be wonderful if even a quarter of the councils did just that.
I spent a few days clearing out a relative's house in a different area. We tried to send as much as possible to charity shops but they were very choosy ( I understand why) and a lot of stuff went to recycling but the majority of stuff was put down a chute labelled landfill.
It broke our hearts.

We took home with us as much as we could put in the car to spare this horror but , to this day, we don't know why there isn't a National cohesive plan for waste management.

Too many times we've been on cottage holidays , to find poor recycling, food waste facilities. It needs a national approach.

You are not unreasonable, I only buy coffee from Nero now as they atm are the only company allowing reusable cups.