I'd like us to live in a world where there aren't garbage patches (mainly comprised of plastic) floating in our oceans or on our sea floors and animals weren't dying with stomachs full of trash #UnleashValues. Unfortunately, plastic has become so ingrained in our culture that this positive future feels almost too distant to reach.
I think a critical way we can help with the plastic crisis is to just stop using it, which is of couse easier said than done. Instead of looking for the next best, more friendly plastic alternative, maybe it's time to bypass plastic, plastic-adjacent, and plastic mimicking products. On top of implementing (and properly enforcing) single use plastic bans, culturally shifting away from plastic is, in my mind at least, a step in the right direction. We could shift back to using glass, metal, ceramics, and bamboo. Also, the plastic we do have should be reused and repurposed rather than tossing it in the trash to go buy the 'sustainable' options. Although I don't know the extensive energy and environmental costs of these other products, I think the best way to stop contributing to plastic waste is to stop creating it so it cannot become waste.
Thank you for your comments I really do agree. It should be as simple as removing the problem by banning the creation of it, but at the same time since it makes up almost everything we have around us it would require so much dedication and investment of time/ priority that influential figures just don't seem to care enough for :(
I like your point that we need to stop creating plastic to combat its pollution. I also like the point of a cultural shift. Items not wrapped in plastic or in plastic containers is often seen as unhygienic, making even sustainable packaging less likely to hit the markets. Great post!
I 100% agree with everything you've shared here Helen. Plastics feel almost impossible to deal with at this point, but I envision a future where transformative change through not just banning single-use plastics (and other materials), but through rethinking what we actually need to use in the first place (shifting away from plastics all-together!)
Thank for you mentioning that plastics should not be thrown out just to go buy the sustainable versions - I think this is such a misleading example of greenwashing that many fall victim to.
I agree! Looking for alternatives is great but maybe if we spend that time and effort to just stop using plastics maybe we wouldn't have to spend so much time getting rid of it.
Hi Helen, I also agree that we need to move away from plastic items as a whole rather than finding ways to mimic it.
Helen! I love you title!
WE FOR SURE need to revamp the way we do things. Stopping the use of plastic is definitely something we need to start doing now!