Plastic is not our Enemy

History will tell us the enemies of our time.  We can only speculate over the politics, but like any good story we know our true foe.

2019 will be the year we stood up to money. Historians will write about the day a teenage girl rained facts like mortars into the ranks of our leaders and how they stood and applauded her for it. They will write about the line she drew in the sand and the global movement she started which energised millions.

However, we need to be careful where we apportion blame. What we’re about to say may rattle environmentalists and activists the world over, but it’s something we need to address.

Plastic is not our enemy.

There, we’ve let the genie out of the recycled bottle, and we don’t need to get it back in. Instead, what we must do is use this fantastic material with responsibility.

We do not deny that our greed, has brought the planet to the brink of dereliction. As Greta Thunberg herself said, we have burdened future generations with the task of undoing our gluttony. The production of plastic has played a huge role in this process, but there’s no need to demonise it.  The truth is, we must change how we use, produce and above all, recycle plastic.

• Plastic can replace our very veins and bring affordable healthcare to those most in need.

• Plastic can provide havens for those without homes and shelter.

• Plastics can reduce the weight of aircraft and other vehicles meaning reduced CO2 emissions

• Plastic can make our homes energy efficient.

• Plastic provides lightweight parts and enables us to create new green energies.

 So, yeah, plastic can be great, but there are a few buts…

• We need to treat plastic as if it is finite.

• We need to use and re use it like a potato in a famine.

• Plastic is dangerous and we need to keep it under lock and key

• We need to keep plastic out of the water and out of the Arctic.

• We should think of plastic as a controlled drug and stem its use in daily life.

We don’t need to hate plastic; we need to use it with care.  We need to Keep it out of our kitchens, working environment and free it from our children’s Christmas.

If we can free our lives from single use plastic then out there, those who worship money will soon get the message and they’ll get it quick.  We know it’s hard, we know it will take time and we know we sound like a broken record… but hey, at least a broken record has been used before….

To that end… here are three easy ways to make a friend of plastic.

1. Make a bottle broom from recycled plastic bottles.

2. Ditch the chemical waste: change the way we use detergent with water soluble detergents.

3. Shame our councils: the UK has a recycling league table. Is yours on it? If not ask them why.

 Plastic is not the enemy…. we are.