Plastic everywhere

[mjf981]

I known plastic is part of our everyday life now, and we can't imagine a world without it. However I think its absolute madness that we have invented something that takes up to 1000 years to degrade in the environment. Millions of tons are dumped into the natural world every year, polluting our lands and oceans. It damages ecosystems and causes untold pain and suffering to wildlife (ie sea birds that eat it/get caught in netting etc etc). We are trashing our own world. I find is so depressing.

I wish it had never been invented (or if it had, that it was easily biodegradable). I think its madness that we continue with the status quo because its easier for packaging etc, and it benefits big business. I do what I can to minimize useage and waste, but we desperately need a more environmentally friendly alternative, and governments need to lead the charge on this. AIBU?

Plastic packaging is always the thing people focus on yet is sometimes the best/only option. People fail to focus on the mindless plastic in the form of stocking fillers, secret Santa crap, kids toys and other rubbish goods that either break immediately or never get played with. That is the source of half the Chinese emissions we in the west virtue signal about without realising we create the demand for the crap they produce. Go to any kids party or house and note the extensive amount of plastic based gifts and toy box contents. Think of the mounds and mounds of disposable nappies in landfill.

For many perishable goods (meat, veg) the plastic extends their shelf life many times over and reduces food waste massively. No suitable alternative has been found yet

Glass over plastic containers. Yes at least it's recyclable but it needs to actually be recycled. The recycling process creates emissions itself and glass is 5 times heavier than plastic so freighting it emits 5 times more emissions!

In general we need to reduce our consumption by a massive amount.

Check out NoPla in Birmingham. They won this year's Earthshot Prize. They have invented a product from seaweed. To all intents and purposes it looks like plastic coating for food packaging, but it's not. It's totally biodegradable.

Have a look at the Earthshot Prize as well if you've never heard of it as it may leave you feeling incredibly hopeful for our future - that solutions are being found for our environmental problems.

I also saw a documentary recently of a company that has been able to break some plastic back down into component parts, which can be reused in new products for industry, preventing more micro plastics in the ocean.

I'm sure some of the solutions we find now may well become problems of the future, but I have faith that mankind will just find a new set of solutions.

**NotPla

Interesting. I'm going to look up NotPla. I need something to give me hope we're trying to do something.

This is so true. I hate all the 'plastic crap'.