The shocking amount of plastic used in a typical household was uncovered in a recent BBC documentary ‘War on Plastic.’
The programme revealed that there are 19,500,000,000 pieces of plastic inside UK homes at any given time, and even the most astute anti-plastic individuals find it impossible to say goodbye to plastic for good.
The Scary Truth about The War on Plastic
Even those who have ditched plastic carrier bags, avoid plastic packaging and are taking every possible step to reuse and recycle plastic find that it is everywhere and very difficult to avoid altogether. From shampoo bottles to detergent sprays, toothbrushes to the majority of food products – getting rid of plastic in the home is an insurmountable challenge.
The ‘War on Plastic’ is hosted by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Anita Rani. It served viewers with some grim and shocking statistics about our plastic usage, and what happens to it after we’ve dumped it in the bin. Even those who dutifully clean and recycle their plastic waste may be disheartened to discover that it doesn’t just easily make its way to a recycling plant to be reborn as something else, and, more often than not, plastic ends up being shipped off to other countries to deal with, where it could be dumped in the ocean, in illegal landfills, or even set fire to.
Dexam’s Director, Roger Morgan-Grenville recently saw the documentary, and has strong values of the eco battle we have on our hands. “As a business, we are fully committed to working towards a more sustainable world. We believe the evidence for action is unarguable, and we know that this will entail big lifestyle changes for us all. In fact, we welcome it.”
Businesses Have to Lead on the War on Plastic
He went on to say that “Businesses have to lead on this, and to work with their customers in a positive and proactive way. From hugely reducing our own road, sea and air miles, to committing to phase single use plastic out of the operation wherever it is possible, we are doing what we can. We don’t hold ourselves out to be experts, but we know that we must be quick and willing learners.”
Our addiction to plastic is turning the world’s rivers and oceans into plastic congested, highly polluted, animal and marine life killing dumping grounds, and if we continue to use and abuse plastic at our current rate, this could have a devastating effect on our environment and the future of our planet.
“Every single minute of every single day a truckload of plastic is finding its way into the world’s oceans – and once it’s there it sticks around for hundreds of years,” Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall explained. He went on to point out that once plastics do begin to breakdown into microscopic pieces, they pass through the food chain from marine life to humans and could harm our health. Our awareness of what’s happening and our willingness to make real changes is crucial.
Plastic Waste Reduction with Eco Friendly Kitchen Products
Fortunately, when it comes to reducing our plastic usage, there are some quick and straightforward wins.
Reusable Water Bottles
Firstly, single-use plastic bottles are a no-no. There is no excuse for buying bottled water from shops when there are so many high-quality refillable water bottles that people can use time and time again. Our tap water is perfectly drinkable, and therefore, the need to drink bottled water is nonexistent. It’s far cheaper and easier to invest in a reusable bottle and save the pennies. Plus – you are also doing your bit for the environment.
Reusable Coffee Cups
The same goes for coffee cups as quality reusable coffee cups are also readily available, and shops and cafes are happy to fill them up for you instead of handing out paper cups and plastic lids.
It’s not just up to the individual, and businesses must commit to doing more to reduce their plastic waste too. The programme highlighted the responsibility of supermarkets. They need to start considering how to reduce the number of plastic wrapped products on their shelves and suggested introducing packaging-free aisles, or swapping plastic microwave meal packaging for cardboard.
“We want to wage a war on single use plastics, and we can do this through our product development- reusable coffee cups, for example; silicone lids to take the place of cling film, and beeswax wraps to keep sandwiches fresh. We have a huge range of hydration products to allow and encourage people to commit to never buying a single use plastic drinks bottle”. – Roger Morgan-Grenville
Pledge to reduce plastic use at Dexam
At Dexam, we’ve pledged to significantly reduce our use of plastic, as close to nil, as quickly as possible. Some of the significant steps we are taking include, introducing biodegradable eco chips on all orders that require packaging and offering more sustainable, eco-friendly kitchen products to our customers.
We want to be at the forefront of the war against plastic, and our commitment demonstrates how passionate we are about reducing our carbon footprint and becoming a more ethical, greener business while continuing to provide the highest quality eco friendly products to our customers.
We can all do more to reduce our plastic waste. Isn’t it time you joined the fight?
