Plastic Straw Ban and buds

[Midwest]

I've always been a keen recycler, both at home and work. Charging for plastic bags, I think was a good thing. Everything seems to either be wrapped up in plastic film, or in a plastic container.

News this week, that our government is considering a ban on plastic straws and those things you clear small orifices with. One less thing.

The plastic debate seems to have been focused by the recent Blue Planet programme

Thing I don't understand, is I recycle conscientiously, so do my neighbours. I don't see anyone driving to their local river, or going to the coast to dump their stash of plastic into the sea. So how has our properly collected waste ended up in some far off beach?

Is it because we use so much of the stuff and we export the stuff. And now China won't accept anymore, its ending up with a less scrupulous nation to deal with?

Look whats happened recently in Indonesia

Plastic fantastic
(ps sorries about the size of pics, can't upload pics at the mo)

 

[Octopus]

Dreadful isn't it.

A few weeks back our milkman (yes really) delivered a free bottle of an alternative fruit juice ........... needless to say we drank the juice, washed the bottle and put it out with the milk bottles ..................... they didn't take the bottle away

So we won't be buying that.

Governments AROUND THE WORLD have to all clamp down on whats acceptable and what isn't ................ then we have to change human behaviour ......................... so nothing is going to change any time soon.

Its a bit like all the deliveries to our homes ................... we have so much cardboard these days ................. is it all recycled after I take to the recycling centre?

 

[Midwest]

On the Vine show this week, some woman was complaining that she won't be able to drink ornage juice without plastic straws, 'cos the juice hurts her sensitive teeth!

 

[Spoon]

We used to put the plastic margarine tubs in the plastic recycling bin, until they whinged about it and told us we can only put plastic bottles in.

 

[Spoon]

On the Vine show this week, some woman was complaining that she won't be able to drink ornage juice without plastic straws, 'cos the juice hurts her sensitive teeth!

They should have told her to use some 10mm copper piping instead...

 

[littlespark]

Everyone has their coloured bins at home, they know what goes where, and are usually good.
In general public areas, it seems some people think they have a right to throw things anywhere they choose, because its the local authorities job to keep the place clean.
I know, its not everyone. It could be a very small percentage, but even that is a lot of rubbish.


The seas of plastic have been there now for decades - well before any recycling came into being. Blame your parents and grandparents.

Banning straws and cotton buds is hardly going to make an impact.
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Manufacturers also need to do more. Ban polystyrene packaging in favour of the moulded cardboard. It really is the devil's dandruff when it breaks up into little balls.

Is it Norway or Sweden that have a working recycling program? Something like 95% of waste is recycled. Copy that model internationally.

 

[Octopus]

Is it Norway or Sweden that have a working recycling program? Something like 95% of waste is recycled. Copy that model internationally.

Yup ....................... but you still have to change the mindset of the British too

 

[Midwest]

Apparently, Norway is having to import waste to keep its recycling plants going. Do you think Indonesia might export their ---- to Norway?

 

[westward10]

We have walked most of the UK coast paths and you rarely see a tide line not full of plastic waste. It is amazing some of the items you come across.

 

[Midwest]

We have walked most of the UK coast paths and you rarely see a tide line not full of plastic waste. It is amazing some of the items you come across.

That's something I fancy, the coastal paths. Had thought doing the S W Coast Path?

 

[westward10]

North Devon, Dorset and Cornwall have fantastic walks, weather permitting.

 

[Squid]

That's something I fancy, the coastal paths. Had thought doing the S W Coast Path?

I just bought this book, have done some of the walks in Cornwall already.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1852847573/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The girlfriend wants to do the Camino de Santiago walk, there is a longer one in the US......

Camino de Santiago – The Pilgrimage Routes to Santiago de Compostela - http://santiago-compostela.net

 

[Squid]

In the UK and I suppose worldwide is the amount of waste that is dumped in public areas by people who can't be bothered to take their rubbish home with them, I try to recycle as much as I can the cars in my family are a 2009 Clio a 2003 Subaru and a 1988 E30, all do low mileage and don't need to be replaced even if they don't meet the emissions standard.

I also burn the non recyclable waste as its good fuel for the garden waste but it would be an idea to build a home incinerator that could generate electrickery from burning this waste.

 

[MDJ]

I also am a big supporter of getting rid of Plastics, however why should we do it? supermarkets should be fined if they supply plastic bags not charge us 5 pence. They need to supply cardboard or another material for bags which decompose quickly or can be burned without causing any problems to the air. Water bottles and general packaging should be supplied to use by the people we buy from in materials which do not harm the planet, we the public IMO should not be the ones encouraged to avoid plastics, simple answer, do not give them to us in the first place, take responsibility for the products you supply, do not punish us for the crap you provide.

 

[Lucien Nunes]

I think it's a token gesture to try and get others on the bandwagon. According to this article: Almost all plastic in the ocean comes from just 10 rivers | DW | 30.11.2017 - http://www.dw.com/en/almost-all-plastic-in-the-ocean-comes-from-just-10-rivers/a-41581484 and other sources, most environmental plastic burden comes from sources where there is a large population with inadequate rubbish collection infrastructure. Hundreds of millions of people, maybe billions, simply chuck used plastic products into the river, or allow them to end up there, unaware that this is a bad thing. OTOH much of the microscopic material is tyre dust and paint dust - neither of which are likely to be banned soon. So the UK's plastic straws are not really a big component of anything but they provide a reference point to generate some publicity and dialogue about the wider problem.