In recent years, we have heard more and more about the damage caused by plastic waste. Thanks to photos and videos taken of the conditions prevailing in the oceans and seas, the coasts covered with garbage and distressed animals, we now better know the tragic consequences of environmental pollution. Marine life is endangered, which is also our fault in part. We treated our environment irresponsibly for a very long time, now is the time to do everything we can to stop this process.
Too cheap and too simple: plastic
Plastic has been very popular for nearly 100 years now. Since discovered, it has taken the role of everything it could, because it is cheap and simple to produce and nothing is easier to dispose of. But no matter how long we have lived with this attitude, the problem is greater than ever. Most of the plastic produced in the world is used as packaging material, and then ends up in a landfill or incinerator. Although recycling is becoming increasingly popular, we already know that it is not the true solution to the problem of tons of plastic.
It destroys in various ways
A significant part of PET bottles, bags and packaging materials flows through the rivers into the seas and eventually into the oceans where a very slow degradation process begins. But there are plastics that already kill by simply being present, well before their fragmentation.
The twines and bags winded around birds, the caps, balloons and other packaging materials swallowed in one piece pose a direct threat to the animals living in the water or nearby. Microplastic, which develops through the fragmentation of plastic, kills living creatures slowly and also endangers the survival of several species.
According to research, the consumption of microplastic has a fatal impact on the behaviour of fish as well. Researchers found that some bolder specimens that take more risks are simply deceived by the worthless plastic food: their stomach suggests that it is full, while their brain recognises that they have not received the right nutrients. Hungry fish take more risks and thus are more likely to become the victim of predators.
Similarly, the so-called filtering animals that swallow hundreds of cubic metres of water a day, that is, whales, rays and sharks, are also endangered because food containing plastic is much less rich in nutrients, and it causes them physical damage. These large animals eat a lot: 800 kilogrammes of plastic were found in the belly of a whale washed ashore in France, and 30 plastic bags and 6 square metres of plastic wrap were discovered in another whale that died in Australia.
Microplastics also affect hormonal activity. By entering the living organism, toxic substances from plastics and harmful compounds sticking to the particles affect hormonal activity, which controls the growth, development and reproduction of animals.
What can we do? Becoming plastic-free in 5 steps
Although it is the world’s inadequate waste management to blame in the first place, we also need to act to mitigate plastic pollution. We clearly see that packaging is the main problem, but there are other ways we can play our part in making the environment cleaner.
Less packaging: seek products sold with as little packaging as possible. Peeled carrots pre-packaged in trays and foil are attractively simpler, but how about buying knotted carrots at the market instead? Not a high price to pay for less waste, right?
Use recyclable bags; although the use and production of plastic bags is strictly regulated today, you should go shopping with your own bags. The conscious use of textile bags and vegetable bags sewn from old curtains is a huge step.
No PET bottles! Do not buy any pre-bottled products for home, travel or hiking. Do not trust in recycling, use your own flask instead. If you fill it with (possibly) filtered and purified water – something Floewater offers an excellent solution to – and carry it everywhere you go, you can be sure that you will not buy anything when you are thirsty. Moreover, pre-bottled water has a higher harmful microplastic content than tap water.
Choose refillable products, but strive to avoid plastic packaging also when refilling.
Buy from local producers and choose tap water! Consuming locally available vegetables, fruit, eggs and meat saves the environment from any burden caused by the transport or packaging of goods. Fresh tap water is healthy and a simple thirst-quenching drink that is always at hand.