A plastic free life? My thoughts on #PlasticFreeJuly

Plastic is actually pretty awesome. It might be surprising to hear that coming from someone who talks about the environment a lot, especially in an article that’s all about going plastic free. But we can’t deny that plastic is a great invention that has helped us create many really useful and innovative things that improve the quality of our lives. From reducing food waste (which is another big sustainability issue we need to address) to creating lightweight versions of items that might otherwise increase emissions when transporting, plastic as an invention has provided many benefits but like most things, we’ve gone too far and we’re at a point of drastic over-consumption and I’m horrified by the amount we produce and waste.

Did you know the inventor of the plastic shopping bag, Sten Gustaf Thulin, originally created it as an environmental solution? He hoped his invention would reduce the number of trees felled to create paper bags, and that people would just have one or two plastic carrier bags that they’d keep in their pockets and reuse for many months/years. But things didn’t turn out that way unfortunately!

I’m writing this article because I’m taking part in #PlasticFreeJuly for the first time this year and it’s really got me thinking. Whilst I’ve been trying to live a low-waste lifestyle for a while now, attempting to go a whole month without purchasing any single-use plastics is really another level and it forces you to take an even harder look at your own habits and consumption.

Is plastic the biggest environmental problem?

In recent times there has been a spotlight shone on single-use plastics and plastic waste in general, it’s a hot topic at the moment, and this has produced something of a new bogey man, an environmental enemy we can all unite against and destroy… The Plastic Straw!

Whilst I agree that plastic straws are unnecessary for over 90% of instances in which I’ve seen them thoughtlessly plonked into a glass, though I appreciate there is a valid accessibility case for straws that we should be mindful to appreciate when demonising straws. I do feel that we’ve allowed our focus and eco-mire to be drawn towards straw-man enemy, if you’ll excuse the pun. We’ve all seen heartbreaking clips of sea creatures; turtles, sea birds, and other magnificent beasts suffering, choking, and dying because of plastic pollution, but the reality is that less than 1% of the ocean’s plastic pollution comes from plastic straws. The real plastic problem here is waste industrial fishing nets , as they make up almost 50% of the plastic pollution in our oceans! …But that’s a whole other topic where we might want to reconsider whether our love for eating fish is really worth it!

However, that’s not to say our everyday plastic consumption is not a problem - it really is! Over one million plastic bottles bought every 60 seconds, and recycling facilities are becoming overwhelmed, as such, not everything we put into the recycling bin actually gets recycled and a lot of it may end up in landfill. And this plastic can survive for hundreds if not thousands of years!

It’s important to realise that the our “wealthy western” consumption habits often impact the poorest parts of the world hardest. As our waste has been shipped to other countries to dispose of, or it just ends up washed up on their beaches from the polluted oceans.

“Instead of taking responsibility for their own waste, US companies are exploiting developing countries that lack the regulation to protect themselves,” said John Hocevar, Oceans campaign director for Greenpeace USA.

So, single-use plastics are a problem when it comes to waste and disposal and we need to be aware the energy and resources used to create them, but I think we need to be aware of which plastics we demonise. It’s pointless going out of our way to ban plastic straws whilst continuing to buy bottled water everyday. Likewise, it’s counterproductive to purchase a load of shiny brand new “eco” products and not really use them, as there is always embedded emissions and energy used when creating these products. So, the more you use them, the more you ‘offset’ the environmental impact.

In short, reducing your plastic consumption is just one important part of tackling the bigger climate breakdown challenge.

Death by convenience.

I’m acutely aware of how conveniently we’ve crafted our society around us, like a soft blanket we’ve weaved comfort and convenience into almost every aspects of our lives. Want to eat a piece of exotic fruit in winter? Sure thing, here you go - nicely wrapped in plastic and shipped around the globe! Want to satisfy your evolutionary cravings for fat, salt and sugar? No problem - just tap a few times on your device and someone will drive a tasty burger, in an array of packaging, to your door within the hour. Hungry when you’re on the go? Easy - grab a meal deal from the shop and get your sandwich crisps and drink for a fiver, and a load of plastic too that you probably can’t dispose of in town.

We’re continually funnelled by our built environment and our economic system to take the easiest option and, unfortunately, this easy option is usually the least sustainable. As environmental activist, Rob Greenfield, has previously said “If something is easy and convenient, the burden has been passed to somebody else.”

If often feels like refusing an impulse purchase or taking your own reusable containers out with you is a small act of rebellion in this society.

Individual action VS systemic change

I’m a big believer in the need for systemic change where governments shift to a green economy where they invest in green infrastructure and proper secure jobs of the future (read more about a Green New Deal here), and where industry leaders and large corporations are actually serious in their approach to reduce their own contribution to climate breakdown instead of performative greenwashing or worse, outright data-manipulation. I also want a near-future where we see a global shift to a more circular economy to replace this existing one of extraction and single use, where we no longer see waste as waste but as a resources and our processes and systems are set up with this mindset at heart.

But these big changes will not happen over night, and I do believe in personal responsibility. Whist some may say it’s impossible to be a truly ethical consumer in this capitalist system, I feel we need to be “as ethical as possible”, make the choices that align with our values, and use the market forces (i.e. supply and demand) to make businesses respond to our demands.

Most people want to live more sustainably and reduce their waste, but unless we shift to a lifestyle of self-sufficiency we will be reliant on purchasing products and services, and the only real power we have to change things in our monetary-powered system is the power of our dollars and pounds. So we must “vote” with our money for a better, more sustainable option when we need to buy things. As well as take this important decision to drastically reduce the amount we do buy and consume.

So, can we truly live a plastic-free life?

I started following the “zero-waste” lifestyle trend a couple of years ago and felt really inspired to join the movement. There is something appealing about going against the consumerist grain, living more simply, and trying to have a minimal impact impact on the environment. By avoiding single-use packaged food you are forced to become more self-sufficient, as you opt to start making your own food from raw unpackaged or paper-packaged ingredients, like flour for bread, or to start eating healthier whole foods as processed foods are typically plastic wrapped. So there are many benefits to trying live a plastic-free lifestyle that go beyond the immediate fact of reducing your trail of plastic pollution.

However, I don’t think most people can realistically avoid 100% of single-use plastics in their lives - especially if you’re living a typical urban lifestyle and are not in a position to grow your own food and visit farmers markets on a regular basis. In fact, one of my original zero-waste inspirations, Immy Lucas, has moved away from using the term “zero-waste” because she realised it was practically impossible, often coming from a place of privilege, resulted in a lot of pressure, and was potentially portraying an unrealistic version of reality that she recognised was not helpful to the cause. The phrase she uses now is “low impact living”, which I feel is more appropriate. Having said all that, we can all work to drastically reduce our single-use plastics by being conscious of our consumption and what we buy.

And I think that doing relatively “extreme” acts such as avoiding single-uses plastics for a whole month can be the act of cold turkey a lot of us need to kick us into gear and set us off down a path to a lower waste lifestyle.

I’m 10 days into my #PlasticFreeJuly at the time of writing this and I’ve already slipped up a couple of times. But I’m doing ok and I’m measuring all the single-use plastics I’ve bought so far (enough to fit into a jar!) and I hope to continue measuring my plastic consumption as time goes on.

Will I live a plastic-free life? Probably not, but I’m doing my best in a plastic-filled world.