by Taetske | 2:13 pm
(Last Updated On: August 3, 2021)

 

Plastic, plastic, plastic everywhere. What are we doing to our environment?

 

Plastic waste

Plastic waste image Ben Kerckx

 

It seems to be a fashion wanting to wrap everything in plastic. The food industry is very good at it. They might present even a single onion to you in a supermarket wrapped up in plastic. When one thinks about it, this is far from logical, as most fruits and vegetables are already dressed in their own peel. The peel forms a protective barrier against heat or cold, keeps the dirt and damp out.

Why is it that humans often have the urge to improve on nature when nature has its products designed the best way? Think of it, the peel is biodegradable and most of the time you will peel the fruit before consuming it, right?. If you are so lucky to have a vegetable garden, you can use the peel for composting.

 

Some data that makes one think

Over 2 million tons of plastic are generated in Spain every year. That is only one medium-sized country, counting the population density in the world. Of this plastic 34% is recycled, 17% is burned for energy, and the leftover 49% ends up somewhere in a landfill.

Half of the total amount of plastic lands on a landfill? Have you ever thought about what the consequences are for doing this over many years? It takes 500 years for a water bottle to be completely decomposed.

In the past, it was not unusual to find that a subdivision developer bulldozed a landfill and built on top of that land. I know of a place on the Costa del Sol where this happened. You can not see it, but inside the landfill, things are happening. This mixture of wastes emit toxic fumes and entire areas were affected.

The people and pets living there were reacting and getting sick at an unusually high rate. Different forms of cancer would pop up and people started saying it is unhealthy to live there.

Do not miss this eye-opening video on the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

 

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A staggering amount of plastic in the oceans

The fact that we dump 12 million tons of plastic into the sea every year is a staggering figure. This poses a severe threat to sea mammals and birds alike. They can not distinguish plastic from authentic food and eat plastic items like bags, toys, wrappings, lids, and similar pieces, filling their digestive systems with indigestible plastic and literally starving or choking.

 

What you can do on a personal level

Coming back to the supermarkets where overuse of wrapping can be observed for fruits and vegetables, it would be good if we could all rethink a bit. Take your own bags from home, like cloth bags or nets. You can also go to the weekly market where the vegetables and fruits are presented in boxes and you decide how much you want of this.

I still have memories from my childhood when I accompanied my Mother to the weekly market in Holland. I am talking about the 1950s. She would shop having a basket on her arm, and often the goods were wrapped in the newspaper of the previous day.

When consumers ask for a change. See this video about Tesco.

 

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A new kind of supermarket

In Amsterdam, Holland, a new type of supermarket has recently opened its doors. It is called Ekoplaza. This is a supermarket where glass, metal, cartons, and biodegradable plastic are used for wrapping fresh foods. At first sight, it seems a brilliant idea but having a closer look; it is far from perfect.

The so-called biodegradable plastics used in this supermarket chain still poses a danger to the environment. To meet the rules for being considered “biodegradable”, the material only needs to contain 20% of the new “real biodegradable” plastic. The remaining 80% being the same old dangerous type of plastic.

The best is to do your shopping with your own bags or baskets and not buy any plastic-wrapped foods. Especially not those vegetables and fruits which were designed as having their own wrapping in form of a peel.

 

Vegetable and fruit market in Italy

Vegetable and fruit market in Italy image Michelle Maria

 

A good campaign starts in Spain

In Spain, the already well-known campaign ” Desnuda la Fruta ” which means Undress the fruit is taking off. Locally people are getting more conscious of this plastic problem. Two British citizens have started a waste reduction campaign known as Ecopassion, which is getting good press.

These people have had conversations with the local water board (Acosol) and with Urbaser, a recycling plant for the Costa del Sol West. They wanted to find out the actual situation for recycling and see for themselves that not everything lands in a landfill.

These 2 people have moved around and can already boast some small but important victories. 5 Local bars that would serve their drinks with plastic straws have switched over to ones made of paper. Plastic straws are one of the many dangerous plastic items that can harm animals in the sea.

 

Colorful plastic straws

Colorful plastic straws image Rupert Kittinger-Sereinig

 

Some ideas

Here comes a short list with some ideas if you also would like to contribute to a cleaner planet. A planet with less harmful plastic.

Stop buying water in a bottle. In some areas, you might not like the taste of tap water, but then you always have the option to buy a water filter. If you really must have bottled water, you can find water bottled in glass.

Go shopping, taking your own bags along. The supermarket will sell a very well-made and durable, reusable plastic bag for you to put your groceries in. The next week you go shopping with the same old bag. Doing that you greatly reduce the need for unwanted plastic. Our bags have lasted for many years.

Do not buy fruits and vegetables that have plastic wrapping. Go shopping in places where they use waxed paper for wrapping up your meat and cheese.

Buy your detergent in carton boxes and forget about the liquid soap in a plastic bottle.

If you use soap bars instead of bottles, it also helps towards a nearly plastic-free bathroom.

 

This is a really helpful book

They say that by 2050 there could be more plastic in the ocean than fish by weight. Do you want to be that person who contributes to that? Or do you want to try to do something positive to mitigate this outcome? We need to fight, and really hard, to overcome set ideas. Perhaps give up some habits that even when seemingly comfortable harm the environment.

Reading this book, you will understand that your effort, however small, will make a difference.

 

Simple steps to living consciously on our blue planet

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Conclusion

These are just a few tips to introduce into your daily life. If you keep the 3 R’s in mind, reduce, reuse, and recycle. By doing this, you will help so that our planet does not get suffocated by the plastic plague.

Update. It is July 2021, and the following has happened. In midst of all the misery, this is wonderful news. The European Parliament made an excellent decision. It approved the directive that will ban-single -use cutlery, plates, and balloon sticks starting from July this year.

All those objects that you use once, perhaps only for a few minutes, but which pollute the environment for centuries. Remember those plastic straws you would get with your drink? A danger for marine life. All this will be a thing of the past.

I came across this disturbing video recently. I recommend you to watch it. If we do not clean up our act, it will be too late.

 

 

I have made a special page for you with a collection of things you might find interesting. Before you leave, have a look at Recommendations.

 

Source: Newspaper Sur, July 13th, 2018. Article by Ines Gallastegui

Photos: Pixabay

 

Perhaps you like to read my other story on plastic. This plastic is in your food.

PHTHALATES? Do You Know What You Are Eating?

Comments

Teresa

There’s some useful tips you’ve mentioned in reducing our plastic usage.

The introduction of the 5p per bag in the UK, although slightly controversial in the beginning, has proven popular in pushing people to reuse their shopping bags and cutting down on plastic waste.

I always buy fruit and veg without the plastic wrapping and I really like your reminder of the three R’s. Great informative read.

Sep 11.2018 | 03:29 pm

    Taetske

    Good afternoon Teresa,

    Thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment on my post. This plastic issue is really bothering me. I also go shopping with cloth bags which are used time after time. For in the fridge I have a special type of bag which can be used for years, only wash it now and then and it keeps your fruit and vegetables fresh quite a bit longer. If we all do a little bit it would make a big impact on the world for sure.

    Regards, Taetske

    Sep 11.2018 | 04:24 pm

burleyboy

Have you heard about biodegradable plastics that are particularly sweeping Asian countries? Apparently, you can eat the “plastic” after you are done or not feel bad about throwing it away because it is made out of seaweed and other organic materials that still make it rigid but completely disposable with no problems. That is one of the things that was really on my mind as I was reading this. I wonder if there are other alternatives to the ways we produce and consume plastic goods. You give some good suggestions in your article about our limiting of plastic. Do you have any plastic alternatives that we might be able to integrate into our society?

Oct 27.2018 | 01:36 pm

    Taetske

    Good Morning, sorry, but I do not know your name?

    Thank you for visiting my website and leaving a comment. I hope you have downloaded your free PDF?

    What a brilliant idea to have edible wrapping, I had not heard anout that before but think it is a clever solution to the plastic problem.

    I have seen the reuse of plastic in quite a lot of places. Using plastic bottles filled with sand to then make walls for a house. Also making little boast out of plastic bottles seems to be a good idea of reusing them.

    There is a worm which can digest plastic, here is the link to my post.https://motherearthstreasures.com/unique-and-interesting-new-systems-for-bio-degradation-of-plastic.

    As to alternatives to plastic there is wood but personally I am worried too many trees are taken down already so that is not a good idea in the long run.

    Regards, Taetske

    Oct 28.2018 | 07:40 am

Stella

I love what you are saying here about cutting down on plastic. It is a subject dear to my heart. Especially with all of the recent warnings about the state of the environment. I dread what it could be like in a couple of decades for the children who are here now.

I always try to be environmentally friendly with my shopping and habits. But I learned something interesting lately. It pays to research how to be the most helpful. I used to toss everything I could into my recycling bag. If I was in doubt I would put it in anyway, taking the chance that it might still get recycled. But I recently learned that it is not a good practice. If you don’t follow the rules and instructions for your local recycling program, you could end up contaminating the recyclables and then they have to dump them instead.

I agree with the theme of your article that it is best to avoid the plastic in the first place. Fruits and veg don’t need to be packaged with so much excess plastic.

Great work on more awareness! 🙂

Oct 27.2018 | 01:42 pm

    Taetske

    Good afternoon Stella,

    Thank you for your visit and leaving a comment. I hope you downloaded your free PDF?

    I live in the south of Spain and in my village, there have been a lot of improvements over the years. I came to live here in 1981, in those times one did not talk or think much about the environment. The waste was dumped all in one bag in the container on the road. Now there are many containers standing next to each other. One for the carton, one for glass, one for plastics, one for organic, and one for the rest. 

    In my place I always give the small plastic bags a second use and all organic saved in the kitchen goes to the vegetable garden. Newspapers are made into bricks to light the fire. 

    I am sure I could do a lot more and whenever I discover something new I will try it out and if good adopt it into my life. We should all do a little bit like that it will have a big impact.

    Regards, Taetske

    Oct 27.2018 | 02:49 pm

Shashwat .Prakash

Thoroughly enjoyed reading your article. It clearly shows us a mirror to what we have done as humans to the nature. I like how you have used the statistics, they make a person wonder about how much trouble lies ahead of us, if we don’t stop.

I completely agree that bio-degradable plastics are of no use. Self-introspection is the key.

Feb 21.2019 | 01:13 pm

    Taetske

    Good Morning Shashwat,

    Thsnk you for visiting my website and leaving a comment. I hope you downloaded your free PDF?

    I am afraid the trouble does not lie ahead of us, we are sitting in the middle of our own created mess. When one puts all our sins together it is a miracle our planet is still up and running. We will be presented the bill sooner than later when we find out we cannot live here anymore.

    Regards, Taetske

    Feb 22.2019 | 07:15 am

jaykaynigltd

Taetske this is an amazing article and an eye opener for all of us to what we are doing to ourselves!The menace of plastic wrapping is everywhere from America to Europe to Africa. A lot needs to be done to curb this menace to save our land, sea and by extension air. Many country are now enforcing pay more to dispose plastic to encourage reuse. We cannot do without these wrappers but a more degradable one will be nicer in place of these ones.

Feb 21.2019 | 01:20 pm

    Taetske

    Good Morning Jaykay,

    Thank you for your comment on my website. I hope you have downloaded your free PDF?

    Even if the total picture is far from good there also are some positive things one can mention. Like Corona Beer. They are now fabricating rings for their 6Packs which are not causing damage to wildlife anymore. A step in the right direction.

    Regards, Taetske

    Feb 22.2019 | 07:19 am

Richard

We in Germany have the benefit that the issue of plastic pollution and recycling is at the forefront of peoples minds. The supermarkets to a large extent are geared for this where excess packaging has been illuminated and that fruit and veg is loose on the shelves as people bring their own reusable bags and crates.

The separation of trash in my opinion is where it starts and it requires not only a firm mindset change but also enforcement as whether we like it or not, people need “encouragement” to conform. Singapore is not the clean city it is because the people are better than others, its a clean city as there are consequences for not being clean.

Rich

Feb 21.2019 | 01:24 pm

    Taetske

    Good Morning Rich,

    In Spain, people are also waking up to the fact that recycling is better than putting everything in a landfill.

    I live in a very pretty village known in the whole country. The town hall has no red numbers, this is worth mentioning as the rest of Spain is in the red. Also, the fact that here are the biggest amount of green square meters per capita. You can see where part of the tax money goes, parks, nice roundabouts, clean streets etc. Automatically the people living here have become more conscious to not just throw everything on the street. Where the waste bins are standing we now have separate ones for glass, paper and carton, plastic, and normal waste. That is definitely an improvement on the old days.

    Regards, Taetske

    Feb 22.2019 | 07:28 am

Dave Sweney

I have been trying to cut down on plastic use for years and pushed anyone who would listen to do the same. This society has become a throw-away culture. Use something once and throw it away. This is especially true with plastic. The problem is that this plastic just does not break down like paper or something bio-degradable.

A lot ends up in the oceans where eventually it gets into the food chain and we, in turn, get it into our body when we eat fish. As with so many areas where the outcomes of ‘advances’ are not known, we do not yet know just how harmful this can be to us (and to the fish).

Some of the steps I have taken include requesting paper covers for my dry-cleaning versus plastic, using canvas bags for shopping trips, using more rain-proofed canvas covers for equipment and machinery stored in the yard, and using no plastic straws.

I know that just me doing this is not going to make a huge difference, but the more I preach to others, the more are doing the same. Over time, I do think it will make a difference. I also have been advocating through the government (local) to push for restricting how plastic can be used. Changes have been realized, as it is a lot more than me doing this. Many people are doing the same.

Thinking of the follow on generations is a part of my life. I am at the end of mine, but the grandchildren and their children are the ones who will be asking themselves why Opa did not do more. Mine know how I feel and they have been raised to look out for the environment and I am sure they will carry this effort forward as they become adults.

This was a good post on a subject that is very important and concerning. I commend you for bringing attention to this problem and I hope that thousands will see it and take action to reduce plastic use in their day to day lives. Thanks!    

Feb 21.2019 | 01:26 pm

    Taetske

    Good Morning Dave,

    Thank you for your long comment on my post. Nice to see you again.

    The bill for committing sins is being presented already. As you said, plastic gets into the food chain and then we eat it again. Time ago I wrote a post about the contaminated salmon in Seatle. The wastewater was leaking into the sea. The salmon was swimming in water which had opioids, birth control pills, and a long list of niceties.

    This reminds me of another story I heard a long time ago. People were getting sick. It turned out they were eating a lot of chicken. The chickens were fed a compound of fish flour. Where did the fish live? They lived in man-made contaminated water. The circle closes. All the sins committed to our environment will come back at us.

    All Opas and Omas should think about the inheritance they leave for future generations. Our planet is beautiful but we are making a mess and that is so sad.

    Regards, Taetske

    Feb 22.2019 | 07:58 am

Son

I definitely don’t think that mother earth appreciates all the plastic that humans are throwing into the ocean. But I think that the average people don’t really care about throwing all this plastic into the environment because it has little negative impact on a personal level. Choosing glass bottled water instead of plastic and all these other ways to avoid using plastic is just too inconvenient for most people. Honestly I would love if people stop using all this plastic and throwing it into the ocean, but I very much doubt it’s going to stop in my lifetime. 

Feb 21.2019 | 01:35 pm

    Taetske

    Good Morning Son,

    Sadly still a lot of people do not understand that every little action on a personal level counts. When you look at the big picture and see the mess we have created one might think oh, well, that plastic bag I use will not make a difference. But it does make a difference as when changing our mentality we will understand that many small actions will make a global impact.

    Thank you for your comment. I hope you have downloaded your free PDF?

    Regards, Taetske

    Feb 22.2019 | 07:33 am

usman gagi

Hi Taetske,

Thank you for sharing this great informational article about our plastic usage.I really learnt great ideas from it, personally. You have written lots of helpful article which encouraged lots of people about mentioned in reducing our plastic usage.has proven popular in pushing people to reuse their shopping bags and cutting down on plastic waste. I am bookmarking your article to share with friends.

Feb 21.2019 | 01:57 pm

    Taetske

    Good Morning Usman,

    Nice to hear you liked my article. I think it makes sense that when nature provides a perfect wrapping why do we then have to add a new wrapping? When I go shopping I prefer to bye my fruits and vegetables lose. If I cannot avoid a plastic bag I certainly will reuse it again. 

    Thank you for your comment. I hope you downloaded your free PDF?

    Regards, Taetske

    Feb 22.2019 | 07:38 am

Paul Kely

Hi Taetske, I was wondered to read your reports about harmful of plastic, I have read your article attentively and found here many guidelines for awareness to reducing our plastic usage. I knew the plastic was harmful for us, But I did not know so deadly harmful. From today I will avoid shopping plastic wrapping fruit, vegetables , and any other foods. Thank you very much for writing this public awareness article.

Feb 21.2019 | 02:00 pm

    Taetske

    Good Morning Paul,

    Thank you for visiting my website and leaving a comment. I hope you downloaded your free PDF?

    Plastic pollution is one of the big Global problems. The more conscious people become, the better. We can all do something on a personal level and it will help.

    Regards, Taetske 

    Feb 22.2019 | 07:42 am

Linda Frankson

Hi, Taetske here we go again I have liked this article so much that I placed it on our group page on FB and shared it and it has become a very popular post. Thank you so much for always being my second eyes. I also reposted the video on my home page in FB I think I will become very unpopular on FB. but someone has to say these things Love and admire your work Linda

May 03.2019 | 01:42 am

    Taetske

    Good Morning Linda,

    Thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment.

    Luckily people are becoming more conscious of the things happening in the world so I do not think you will become unpopular for posting these things. We have to wake up to the fact that our environment which after all is our habitat is being polluted at an alarming rate.
    If we all do a little bit it will have a big impact. Thank you for sharing.

    Regards, Taetske

    May 03.2019 | 05:53 am

Nuttanee

Plastic wrap is everywhere and it is so hard to eliminate it from your life. I read an article the other day that the plastic wrap has phthalates and we still yet known what will it do to us in the long run. I mean the scientists claim that we pee it out, sure. Right now we use even more plastic wrap because of the pandemic. 

You are right, what we can do is not to support the ready to eat foods which it will be hard but I think it is manageable. 

Do you know that in France they do it the other way around? They give out the drinking water or the carbonated water for free but you have to bring your own bottle to refill it. If you do not have the bottle, you have to buy your own bottle in the venting machine. I love that idea a lot. 

I will check out how to give up plastic. 

Dec 02.2020 | 08:36 pm

    Taetske

    Good Morning Nuttanee,

    Thank you for stopping by and for your comment. Nice to see you again.

    This idea in France is good. I had also heard about it. It will definitely reduce the amount of plastic bottles. 

    What I had not heard is that scientists claim we pee out the plastic? As far as I know we accumulate it in our bodies the same as with heavy metals. Anyhow, our sins come back at us one way or the other. To do a couple of detoxes a year is helpful to our health. To make and use less plastic is beneficial for our environment. We still have a long way to go.

    Regards, Taetske

    Dec 03.2020 | 07:32 am

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