Take the Marine Conservation Society's 'Plastic Challenge' to try and detox your life
Plastic debris in the Thames- Nick Foster
With more plastic than fish (by weight) in our seas predicted to be a possibility by 2050
Take the Marine Conservation Society's 'Plastic Challenge' to try and detox your life
Plastic debris in the Thames- Nick Foster
With more plastic than fish (by weight) in our seas predicted to be a possibility by 2050, our reliance on plastic in all its forms is clear.
The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) says, "We’re in a plastic pickle and so with the nightmare that plastic pollution is creating in our oceans now high on political, personal and news agendas, the Marine Conservation Society (MCS), the UK's leading marine charity, is once again throwing down the gauntlet to the public to take on our Plastic Challenge."
MCS is asking people to give up single-use plastics for the whole of July.
Simon Reeve, TV presenter and MCS Ocean Ambassador, says, “Our planet is becoming poisoned by plastic. The vast amount in our oceans has become an environmental emergency as a direct result of our throwaway society. That’s why I’m supporting thousands of people living without single use plastic this July as part of the Marine Conservation Society’s Plastic Challenge. Don’t just get depressed about plastic - stop using it!”
The charity has run the Plastic Challenge for the last four years – and has been supported in doing so by BRITA UK since 2016. More than 1,000 people took part in 2016, and last year over 5,035 registered to give up using single use plastic. That includes food packaged in plastic, plastic water bottles, plastic milk bottles, shower gels, toothpaste and pasta to name but a very few.
“This is a challenge that you can make as easy or as hard for yourself as you like,” says Dr. Sue Kinsey MCS Technical Specialist. “But however you choose to do it you won't fail to realise just how reliant on plastic we’ve become. Some things are really tough to replace however much you want to give up single-use plastic."
"The support we had last year was amazing and we know, from the comments we received on social media, that for many, this month is the start of a lifestyle change."
Among the things people found hardest to replace were milk containers, dried goods packaged in single use plastic like pasta rice and pulses, loo paper and toothpaste.
Diana Szpotowicz, Community Lead for Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) Plastic Free Putney told this website, " Reducing the reliance on plastic is important not only for individuals but for companies and organisations in Putney as well. Consumers are beginning to question the ethics of a company if they are serving their products in non-recyclable plastic; it's essentially the same thing as wrapping something in rubbish. Schools and councils need to set the example for the community and ban plastic straws and other single-use plastics from their premises. The Plastic Challenge is a perfect time to kick off more sustainable policies.
"It's easy to bring a fabric bag to the shops or remember your reusable water bottle once or twice, but then most people go back to their old ways. The Plastic Challenge is a good way to really test yourself. It takes at least a few weeks to begin to form a new 