Scarabtrust.org, May 2022
We are living in a critical moment in the climate and nature crises. More people want to play their part than ever before. Most households around Britain recycle much of their household waste items, and eco-friendly and conscious alternatives and shopping options from handbags made from designer plastic, to pens made from plastic water bottles are all the rage. Yet how environmentally friendly are these items?
Plastic can only be recycled a few times if at all, only by adding more raw material, and its quality degrades massively each time it is recycled. So effectively, single-use plastics are downcycled – recycled into a product with less value. It is eventually thrown away, where it will end up in landfill, will be burned and release toxic chemicals into the atmosphere, or will end up in the seas and oceans where it will damage the marine environment.
Since the 1950’s, less than 10% of the 9.9 billion tons of plastic generated in the world has been recycled. The #WeChooseReuse campaign aims to reverse this trend and asks us to: reduce the amount of single use plastic and packaging in our daily lives, and send the message that reuse and refill are the way forward. You can also sign the #WeChooseReuse commitment and send the message to decision-makers that there is demand for reuse. >> Continue Reading
