Reducing plastic in schools for World Environment Day
Every single piece of plastic ever made still exists. This means every toothbrush you’ve ever used, every straw you’ve ever drunk from and every plastic bag you’ve ever put groceries in, is somewhere on the planet.
Today is World Environment Day and this year the focus is on the scourge of plastic. We’ve all seen the news, with marine life one of the major victims of our out-of-control plastic addiction. It is predicted that unless humans do something drastic to reduce the use of plastic, by 2050 there will be more rubbish in the oceans than fish.
In Queensland and Western Australia, single-use plastic bags will be banned from 1 July. This brings these states in line with the Australian Capital Territory, South Australia and Tasmania. Victoria has announced that it plans to phase out plastic bags this year, while both major supermarkets will remove single-use bags from their checkouts.
These moves are a step in the right direction, but it is just one small part of reducing the amount of plastic stifling the planet. It remains important for people to think carefully about the amount of plastic they use at other times, not just when doing their grocery shopping.
We’ve compiled a list of simple ways to cut plastic out of your child’s school day and to teach them the importance of sustainability and global consciousness.
Top five ways to reduce plastic today
- Use paper or reusable straws, not single use plastic ones.
- Don’t use plastic cutlery and instead get your child a fun set they can use every day.
- Swap cellophane wrap (Glad Wrap) for a reusable container or beeswax wrap.
- Send your child to school with their lunch in a cool, reusable bag instead of a grey plastic one.
- Use a refillable bottle for water and other drinks, rather than buying new bottles every time.
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