Small Steps, Big Difference This Plastic Free July

Island residents are being encouraged to take small steps to make a big difference this Plastic Free July.

The Isle of Wight Council is supporting the annual #PlasticFreeJuly campaign.

Organised by the Plastic Free Foundation, it aims to show people that even a small action like saying no to plastic straws can make a big impact.

According to Recycle Now, worldwide we produce 141 million tonnes of plastic packaging a year.

Plastic production, use and disposal adds around 1.8 billion tonnes of carbon emissions annually. Made from fossil fuels, plastic can take between 20 to 500 years to decompose.

Natasha Dix, the council’s service director for waste, environment and planning, said:

“We are all aware now of the impact we are having on our environment. Easy moves can be refusing single use plastic such as straws or using your own reusable shopping bag.

“Reducing, reusing and recycling plastic has a huge positive effect on our environment.

“We all recycle but we can make sure that what we recycle is easier to process. Rinsing out plastic to remove food residue makes it easier to recycle into something else. This reduces our need to create new plastic. It also stops other recycling being contaminated at the kerbside.”

Here’s some small steps we can all do to make a big difference:

• Sign up the pledge at https://www.plasticfreejuly.org/. The site also has a monthly activity calendar with a whole host of simple actions we can take to reduce our use of plastic.
• Refuse plastic straws: Go for reusable at home and say no when offered at your local restaurant, pub or cafe.
• Refillable cups/bottles: Refill your own reusable bottles and cups. In the UK, we use more than 35 million plastic bottles every day. We also throw 2.5 billion coffee cups every year. (Recycle Now).
• Shop local: Buying local means items are less likely to come with packaging. It is also likely to have travelled less air miles. It also supports your local community.
• Choose loose: Loose fruit and veg is often cheaper than pre-packaged alternatives at the supermarket. You can also choose what you know you will use — cutting down on food waste.