What can YOU do about plastic pollution?

Our three suggestions are:

Help clean it up
Dispose of your plastic waste properly
Reduce you use of plastic products

Of these suggestions, only the third one is really a solution! Help clean it up: unfortunately the sheer size of the world's oceans and the extent to which we have filled them with plastic debris means that cleaning them up is a physical impossibility -this is something nature will have to do itself in the coming centuries. However, this isn't to say that helping clean up plastic debris from your local beach is not a worthwhile thing to do. By participating in beach cleanups you are helping to raise awareness of a serious problem. This is the first step in changing the way things are. Even if you live inland and have no local beach, organizing or participating in clean ups is just as important because much of the litter you find in your parks and rivers will inevitably end up in the ocean. Dispose of your plastic waste properly: this should really go without saying. If your local area provides collection facilities for plastic recycling then make sure any plastic you are throwing out is properly separated for recycling. If your local area does not provide such a service then ask them why. However, the big problem with plastic is that much of it cannot be effectively recycled and even more of it is just isn't.

An alternative option is if your local area does not supply plastic recycling services. Organize a meeting with local community to see if you as a community can work together and collect recyclable plastic. There are now recycling companies who will pick up your plastic free of charge if it is deposited in one collection point
Reduce your use of plastic products: at the moment it is impossible to completely remove plastic from you life but it is possible to massively reduce how much you use. Plastic in many ways is a fantastic material; it is relatively cheap to produce, versatile and above all durable to the point of near indestructibility. It is this durability that makes plastic so unsuited for disposable items. Here are some of the worst offenders and how you can avoid them:

Plastic carrier bags – these have to be the worst example of an unnecessary disposable plastic product. Luckily they are also perhaps the easiest one to avoid – BRING YOUR OWN BAG TO THE SHOP!
Plastic water bottles – now a sadly common site in our rivers and oceans. What to do? DRINK TAPWATER – it’s clean and safe and you're already paying for it! What's more it can be conveniently carried in stainless steel water bottles and flasks.

Soft drink bottles -BUY DRINKS IN CANS OR GLASS BOTTLES

Packing on vegetables in supermarkets - ALWAYS TRY AND BUY LOOSE VEG AND FRUIT. Till operators are now used to people just putting vegetables loose into their basket.

Over packaging on meat and fish items - if your supermarket has one, BUY MEAT FROM THE MEAT COUNTER, it usually saves the use of a polystyrene base. Even better – buy you meat from a butcher!

If you are feeling really brave RIP ALL EXCESS PACKAGING OFF your produce and bought items once you hit the checkout. This campaign has actually worked in other European countries with many supermarkets reducing their packaging as a result.

Plastic kid’s toys - we all know the ones that are given out free with certain fast food meals. They entertain the kids for 5 minutes before they get bored of them. This one is not easy as many highly paid child psychologists have been working tirelessly for years to convince your children they need these plastic trinkets. Maybe inform your child that these toys kill animals?As a general rule -THINK BEFORE YOU BUY. If possible when buying anything look for the brand that has the least plastic packaging and buy that one. Consumer choice is a very powerful tool.

The more people that express their dislike of disposable plastic products and packaging with their wallets the easier it will get to find alternatives.

BE PRO-ACTIVE - if this issue concerns you then tell other people about the facts.
Finally, check out the Surfers Against Sewage “return to offender” campaign

Andy Cummins, SAS Campaigns Officer says: “Anyone can help us with this campaign. If you’re walking the dog on the beach and come across a plastic drink container for example, take it home, put it in a parcel and return it to the address listed on the bottle, not forgetting to enclose a copy of SAS’s campaign letter (downloadable at the above link).