OXFORD CLIMATE SOCIETY
  • About
    • What We Do
    • Who We Are
    • Our History
    • Advisory Board
    • Our Sponsors
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Videos of Past Events
  • Education
    • The Oxford School of Climate Change
    • Capstone Projects
    • Reading Lists
  • Action
    • Sustainability Action Guide
    • Decarbonise Oxford
    • College Sustainability Workshops
  • Media and Arts
    • RISE zine
    • Anthroposphere: The Oxford Climate Review
    • Interdiscplinary Fine Art
  • Blog
    • Articles >
      • International Climate Policy
      • Global Perspectives
      • What you need to know about...
      • Past Blogs
    • Event summaries
  • Get Involved
    • Everyday fossil-fuel involvement at Oxford
    • Elections 2022
    • RISE Submissions
    • Subscribe to our Newsletter
  • Alumni Network
  • Contact

Past Blogs

A variety of blog posts

Plastic Island: How Can We Help?

4/11/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture

Author

Lucy Fellingham

“Plastic Island” and “garbage patch” are terms that have been used to describe (perhaps misleadingly) a large “diffuse soup of plastic” that has formed in the ocean as a result of years of plastic pollution. The Great Pacific Garbage patch consists of tiny particles of plastic floating below the ocean surface, which not only poses a threat to the lives of hundreds of thousands of marine animals, but also points towards the failure of us as a species to responsibly and sustainably use our resources. 

Of the 9.1 billion tons of plastic produced since 1950, 7 billion tons are no longer in use and just 9% have been recycled. This leaves 12% to be incinerated, releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, and 5.5 billion tonnes left to litter our land and oceans. Plastics take up a huge amount of space in landfill and can leak toxic chemicals into the surrounding earth, while biodegradable plastics produce methane as they break down, a greenhouse gas even more potent than carbon dioxide. By reducing our plastic consumption and becoming more sustainable, we could have an incredibly positive effect on our oceans, wildlife and our planet.

But how can we achieve this? Here are 10 ways of reducing our plastic consumption and improving our ecological footprint:

1.    Buy a reusable bottle: This is a classic that is so easy to do, but still 16 million tonnes worth of plastic bottles are used and discarded into our oceans and environment every single day. A reusable bottle has 50-60% lower global warming potential than a single-use bottle and, in addition, a BPA-free durable plastic or stainless steel bottle is much better for our own health.

2.  Don’t use single-use plastic straws: Plastic straws are something rarely thought about, sometimes we don’t even realise we are using them! The number of plastic straws used in the US every day would be enough to wrap around the Earth two and half times, so drinking straight from the cup or even using a bamboo or stainless steel reusable straw could make a big difference.

3.   Use your own coffee cups: A damaging consequence of the burst in popularity of on-the-go coffee is the considerable amount of waste it produces, most of which cannot be recycled. More than 7 million of these cups are used per day and the plastic lids and linings mean they can take up to 100 years to break down. An easy alternative is to take a reusable coffee cup or a small flask with you, which most cafes can fill instead of using a single-use take-away cup.

4.   Don’t use plastic bags: The introduction of the 5p charge has done a lot in terms of reducing plastic bag consumption, but there are still 2 million of them being used every minute all over the world. Remembering to always have a canvas bag on hand, in our bags or in our car can go a long way in reducing the number of plastic bags that end up damaging our environment.

5.   Carry around some cutlery: This is another one that is rarely acknowledged as an issue, but single- use plastic cutlery in fast food restaurants can be easily avoided by bringing your own. Eco-friendly sets of bamboo cutlery are readily available online and are a much greener option than throwaway plastic knives and forks.

6.   Be aware of your cosmetics: Many face washes and toothpastes contain “microbeads”, little particles of plastic which, once washed down the sink, often end up in the ocean or water supplies and can be ingested by sea creatures including phytoplankton and lantern fish.

7.  Use a menstrual cup: Estimates suggest that 20 billion pads, tampons and applicators end up in US landfills every year. These products can take hundreds of years to biodegrade, releasing harmful chemicals and toxins into the earth as they do so. By switching to the menstrual cup, a woman could save 150kg of waste in her lifetime.

8.  Don’t chew gum: The sight of pavements littered with discarded gum is familiar to all. Not only is chewing gum made from synthetic polymers (plastics) which are non-biodegradable, but crude oil is used in its production and so the environmental effects of this chewy habit are further reaching than people may realise.

9.    Get a lunchbox: Instead of carrying lunch in a plastic sandwich bag or wrapping everything in cling-film, a simple solution is to use a lunchbox. A long-lasting plastic or stainless steel lunchbox is an easy alternative and can dramatically cut down on the waste we produce every day.
​
10. Save jars: Not only are jars an extremely aesthetic way of storing your groceries, they are an opportunity to reduce our plastic consumption! Buying in bulk and storing rice or pasta in jars is a great way to avoid the vast amount of plastic packaging that now accompanies most foods. Jars also make a great alternative to plastic cups, even better with a reusable straw!
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    OCS Media Team

    The latest in climate science, policy, perspectives and more from the OCS team.

    Archives

    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    May 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017

    Categories

    All
    Adaptation
    BEIS
    Climate Justice
    Communication
    COP23
    COP24
    COP26
    Coronavirus
    DEFRA
    Eco Guide
    Economics
    Event Summary
    Extreme Weather
    Food
    Food Reviews
    Fossil Fuels
    Gender
    Global Perspectives
    Government
    Impacts
    International
    Local
    Nature
    Oceans
    Plastic
    Policy
    Pollution
    Race
    Solutions
    UK
    UNFCCC
    USA
    Women And Climate Change

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • About
    • What We Do
    • Who We Are
    • Our History
    • Advisory Board
    • Our Sponsors
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Videos of Past Events
  • Education
    • The Oxford School of Climate Change
    • Capstone Projects
    • Reading Lists
  • Action
    • Sustainability Action Guide
    • Decarbonise Oxford
    • College Sustainability Workshops
  • Media and Arts
    • RISE zine
    • Anthroposphere: The Oxford Climate Review
    • Interdiscplinary Fine Art
  • Blog
    • Articles >
      • International Climate Policy
      • Global Perspectives
      • What you need to know about...
      • Past Blogs
    • Event summaries
  • Get Involved
    • Everyday fossil-fuel involvement at Oxford
    • Elections 2022
    • RISE Submissions
    • Subscribe to our Newsletter
  • Alumni Network
  • Contact