July’s a wrap for single-use plastic

Entangled wildlife and polluted beaches, the negative effects of plastic are well documented. However, people across the Eurobodalla and across the globe are making a difference this month by joining the Plastic Free July challenge.

“Sign up for a day, a week, or the entire month. Better yet, stop using single-use plastic altogether,” said Eurobodalla Council’s environmental education officer Bernadette Davis.

“It’s great to refuse all single-use plastic if you can, but even just avoiding the top four offenders – plastic bags, water bottles, takeaway coffee cups and straws – is a great way to get involved and make a difference.”

Ms Davis said plastic had taken over our lives since its invention in the 1950s.

“Now it is taking over our environment,” she said.

“We are all aware of the risk of entanglement and ingestion for our wildlife, and the decrease of economic value from polluted beaches in tourist regions like Eurobodalla. And we are learning more about the hazardous effects of plastic on human health.

“Now we are increasingly aware how plastic breaks up to very small pieces over time and how these microplastics have toxic effects on both humans and ecosystems.”

Ms Davis said many people and the We Care businesses across the shire were already saying no to single-use plastic and Plastic Free July was an opportunity for others to join them.

“Why use something for a few seconds that will sit in landfill for all time? Remembering your reusable shopping bags, coffee cups and water bottles, and saying no to plastic vegetable bags in the supermarket simply requires a change of habit,” she said.

Sign up for the Plastic Free July challenge at www.plasticfreejuly.org and receive weekly tips and motivational stories from across the globe.