The difficulties in Going Green, even if you want to.

  I was reading an article a few days ago- it may have been in the Guardian, or possibly a Greenpeace post on Facebook- about the amount of unnecessary packaging there is of our goods; how, even though the damage plastics are doing to our environment is widely agreed upon, we're still not getting rid of the stuff.

The "tax" on plastic bags, the banning of micro-beads by some supermarkets, is really only a small drop in the ocean, an ocean that is still increasingly filling with our discarded rubbish. The problem is, while I may not have to worry for much longer whether the toothpaste in my local supermarket contains micro-beads, my toothpaste still comes in a plastic tube. I am also finding it increasingly difficult to buy vegetable oil or vinegars in a glass bottle, and I'm only given the option of a paper bag if I'm buying mushrooms.
  Cleaning fluids that claim to be environmentally friendly are, nevertheless, in plastic bottles, and I've only once come across a company whose plastic bottles are labelled as being made from recycled plastic. I recently read that less than 10% of the plastic we generate is recycled, which, if true, is a depressing figure.
  Not all packaging needs to be plastic- I buy vegan spicy burgers from Quorn. They come in a simple cardboard box. My son has Quorn's (non-vegan) Dippers. They come in a plastic bag that can't be recycled. Why?

  If governments can interfere when it comes to plastic bags, why can't they put pressure on companies to also kick the plastic in other ways? A tax on products wrapped in plastic or made from non-recycled plastic, perhaps?
  Could we not have the greengrocery part of supermarkets offering entirely packaging free goods, like independent greengrocers do, and paper bags (remember them?), if bags are really needed.
  Supermarkets themselves could be the driving force behind this change, requiring their suppliers to pack their products in an environmentally friendly way. And if a plastic container is the only option, can we bring it back and get it refilled?
  The emphasis on cleaning up the environment shouldn't just be about recycling our rubbish, it should also be about not producing it in the first place; not only could that result in a cleaner environment, it could result in savings for local councils and their tax payers, as less would have to be disposed of.
  So, here I am, a willing Green, but unable to be as green as I'd like. I appreciate that some solutions will take time, as will changing people's habits, but there are some things that could be done to enable me to chose the green option. For example, companies could advise on their packaging how much, if any of it, is made from recycled plastic, or glass, or paper. Supermarkets could offer paper bags, or encourage their customers to bring their own reusable cotton bags- saving the supermarkets money, savings they could pass on to their customers.

Realistically, the only way things are going to happen apace, is if we, as customers, drive it- and that means sometimes paying a little extra for the company that uses recycled products in its packaging, and ditching the products that come wrapped in plastic, for those in paper or card. Or maybe even ditching some products entirely. We can contact those companies we love, but are letting us down, we can contact our representatives in government and ask them- what are you doing about this?

 Huge swathes of our oceans are dying, and what with all the doom and gloom about our environment, the tendency is to think it is all beyond our control, that we can do nothing about it, or that too much is being asked of us. But the truth is, we can all do something. Make changes to your habits. Small changes. Don't put your carrots in a plastic bag. Don't buy the shrink wrapped broccoli. Stop buying bottled water. Forgo that (throwaway) cup of coffee on your way to work. Small changes. Though, don't let me talk you out of making big changes. Small changes made by all of us, amount to a big change that wouldn't happen otherwise. It's doing something. And that's important. Because doing nothing isn't an option any more.


 UPDATE Recent article in the Guardian- 
what some businesses are doing to help towards a plastic-free environment