This week Ireland’s Classic Hits Radio is looking at ways we can cut down on our use of plastics in the home.
Did you know…
- More than 400 million tonnes of plastic is produced every year worldwide, half of which is designed to be used only once. Of that, less than 10 per cent is recycled.
- An estimated 19-23 million tonnes end up in lakes, rivers and seas annually. That is approximately the weight of 2,200 Eiffel Towers all together.
- Microplastics – tiny plastic particles up to 5mm in diameter – find their way into food, water and air. It is estimated that each person on the planet consumes more than 50,000 plastic particles per year –and many more if inhalation is considered.
- Discarded or burnt single-use plastic harms human health and biodiversity and pollutes every ecosystem from mountain tops to the ocean floor.
What can you do to cut down on your use of plastics in the home?
- Carry a reusable bottle
- Carry a reusable coffee cup
- Avoid excessive food packaging
- Practice Bulk buying and use refill shops
- Say no to disposable plastic cutlery
- Get your milk delivered
- Carry reusable shopping bags
- Ditch the cling film
- Use plastic free teabags
- Give up gum
- Cut out the Glitter!
- Use bars of soap
