Unrecyclable Plastic
Hello everyone, I am Joan a new volunteer and this is my first blog.
In my first blog, I want to highlight the amount of plastic we use that isn’t recyclable – so much ends up in landfill and the sea. I recently read this article from the Independent – Everything you’ve been told about plastic is wrong – the answer isn’t recycling – and thought it was very informative and interesting.
According to the article:
- 70% of potentially recyclable plastic in Europe ends up in landfill, in oceans or are incinerated (releasing harmful toxins)
- Two-thirds of plastic we find in our kitchens, packaging etc. cannot actually be recycled
- Plastic cannot be recycled infinitely and will eventually be discarded
It’s becoming clearer and clearer that thinking we are helping the environment by recycling plastic is not enough. We need to reduce our plastic use altogether and find alternatives to single-use plastics. There’s lots we can learn from other countries. I will be posting future blogs showing how other countries deal with this, and other ways that they reduce their carbon footprint.
Greener Kirkcaldy staff recently started looking at the issue of plastic recycling, and how they can reduce plastic use in their office. Here are links to some more sources of information:
What really happens to the plastic you throw away (YouTube Video)
Plastic China film trailer (YouTube Video)
|