Plastic is one of those products that is so ubiquitous, you barely even register it. The invention of Bakelite in the United States in 1907 kick-started the modern age of plastic, with endless varieties of new plastics replacing more expensive existing materials. Soon clothes, bottles, building materials and even teabags contained plastics – with worldwide plastic production hitting 368 million tonnes in 2019.
Scientists have been warning about the dangers of plastics in our oceans for decades, but faced with images of turtles hopelessly caught in plastic netting and mountains of plastic bottles in tips, there has recently been a long overdue plastic backlash. Here are a few ideas for reducing the amount of plastic in your household.
How about helping clean up plastic waste from our beaches? It can be as simple as taking a rubbish bag with you when you walk your favourite beach or looking out for beach clean-ups advertised on local Facebook pages. See sustainablecoastlines.org for ideas to organise your own. 3
Bathroom
1 WISE UP ON LOO PAPER Look for toilet paper that isn’t encased in plastic wrap. You can go one step further for the environment by purchasing recycled toilet paper. (Recycled from paper that was previously used in homes and offices – not used toilet paper, ew!)
2 Check your ingredients! Microbeads were banned in New Zealand in 2017, due to the harm they cause to aquatic animals and their ecosystems. However, there are a number of other plastics that slip under the radar in cosmetics. Acrylates copolymer and polyethylene are found in many moisturisers, body washes, sunscreens and shampoos. “Microplastics like acrylates copolymer are every bit as dangerous to oceans, wildlife and humans as microbeads,” says Greenpeace Aotearoa plastics
