Waste plastic is awful! It kills living beings: birds, turtles, fish and plankton for starters. They ingest it and it clogs their stomachs and slowly poisons them. They are trapped and fouled in it. It poisons the krill on which all ocean life ultimately depends. It is unsightly. It is wasteful of resources, and, worst of all, totally unnecessary. Consider that, civilization, such as it is, did not know plastic before the end of the Second World War – in fact the whole thing was fought without the aid of plastic!
More, producing plastic wastes millions of barrels of oil, and creates all the various kinds of environmental mayhem associated with that production and manufacture.
The best way to end this plastic assault on our world is to stop using it. Fortunately this is especially easy: make up your mind to stop using throwaways. Carry your own coffee cup everywhere. When shopping bring your own bags and containers. Carry your own reusable water container. Refuse extra packaging.
There are many tips at End Plastic Pollution, but who needs them? We all know how to do the right thing, it’s just that it is not quite as convenient. But how convenient will living on a dead Earth be?
Ian Whyte
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