What I learned from going ‘Plastic Free’ for a month.

Let’s face it – plastic is amazing. It has a million different uses and is one of the reasons we enjoy the standard of living that we do today. But it is this very ‘amazingness’ that makes it such a problem. It virtually never breaks down. Around 99.9% of all plastic ever made, still exists today. 

Think about that.

The straw that you threw away as an 8-year-old is still around today in its original condition (hopefully in landfill at the very least). It takes about 500 years for straws to break down – an estimated 10 million straws are used in Australia each day. Didn’t we learn to drink from cups when we were 3 years old?

Likewise, Australians use (and throw away) 1 billion takeaway coffee cups each year which can take decades to degrade (no, they are not recyclable).

Those single-use plastic bags that everyone was up in arms about supermarkets getting rid of, can take up to 100 years to break down. And even then, they just become microplastics that end up in our food chain.

Less than 10% of plastic is actually recycled.

So, if plastic is so ubiquitous, do initiatives such as Plastic Free July make a difference? Is it worth individuals reducing their plastic use by a small amount?

YES!!

An estimated 8 million tons of plastic enter our oceans every year with devastating impacts on our marine wildlife. By 2050, it is predicted that there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish.

While many plastic products remain essential until we can find viable alternatives, it is the unnecessary single-use items that can make a huge difference. Products of convenience (i.e. straws, bags, coffee cups, water bottles) that we use for 5 mins, but take 100s of years to break down, if at all.

For the last few years, I have participated in Plastic Free July with varying degrees of success. Going completely plastic free in our modern society is incredibly difficult and takes careful planning, extra time and effort, and going without certain things (Tim Tams!). 

For me, and most people, this is not sustainable in the long term. However, each year, I come away with one small way to change my habits and reduce my individual plastic use. A few years ago, it was eliminating plastic film by using wax wraps or sealed containers for lunches and leftovers. 

I no longer buy takeaway coffee unless I remember to bring my own cup. I’ve learnt to be proactive in refusing items such as plastic bags, cutlery, straws, sauce sachets, which are inevitably included by helpful staff only to be thrown away. 

BYO shopping bags and not buying bottled water were no brainers. I sometimes forget, or fail, or don’t want to make a fuss. But these are easy and permanent changes that can be made without compromising lifestyle or habits. 

It can be easy to think that your efforts don’t make a difference or that the problem is too big. But any initiative by individuals, organisations or governments to stem the avalanche of plastic is a good thing. They are small steps on a long but necessary journey to reduce our dependence on plastics.

Written by Josh Griffiths

Senior wildlife ecologist, cesar