It isn’t a new problem, it’s something that’s existed for a long time, however, we’re only just beginning to understand the enormity of the issue. What is it we’re talking about? Plastic in our oceans, the problem is simple – the majority of plastic doesn’t degrade, unfortunately that means that plastic that makes its way into our rivers/seas/oceans and is simply broken up into smaller pieces, it never fully breaks down or goes away.
So how does this affect us and our environment? Well, for one thing… if plastic is floating around in our seas in miniscule pieces that means its making its way into our food chain, be it through the fish we eat or the water we drink.
Larger pieces are playing havoc with our wildlife, from sharks swallowing plastic bags, to turtles and birds getting caught up in beer can holders. The damage can be seen (just google it.) Fortunately, there are some big label companies starting to utilise the plastic found in our oceans and recycle it. Most famously Adidas parley – who now produce a running shoe that is made from 95% ocean plastic.
So, plastic in our oceans – what can WE do to help?? Here are 5 ways you can help reduce & recycle the amount of plastic we use:
Recycle! Yes, it’s fairly obvious, but, how efficiently do you recycle? Start by re-thinking how strictly you recycle your plastics, where possible recycle as much plastic as possible
Don’t buy anything with microbeads! They were hailed as an amazing exfoliator in our skincare products, however, the microbeads in our facial scrubs etc. are made from the same stuff as plastic bags. Stop using them, they’re basically tiny pieces of plastic bags, flushed directly into our water system
Use bags for life, single use plastic bags are one of the biggest problems when it comes to un-necessary plastic waste, make sure you take a bag for life with you, even better use a cotton bag for life
Encourage recycling – recycling like many things is a matter of education. If you have children, encourage them to recycle. No doubt they will be learning about climate change and the environmental impact of plastics at school. Encourage them to recycle at home too, it will soon become a habit!
Here at J Dickinson and Sons Ltd we hope to one – day send zero waste to landfill (another way of plastics getting into our water.) As part of our continuing efforts to reduce waste and encourage recycling we have introduced our waste cashback scheme. The incentive being; if you sort your waste on site (prior to your skip being collected) we will give you cashback on your waste (t’s and c’s apply.)
For further information visit our website or contact our team on 01204 496446.
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