The Problem with Plastic

DID YOU KNOW that about 10m tonnes of plastic currently ends up in the oceans each year. In 2017 the Marine Conservation Society found 718 pieces of litter for every 100m stretch of beach surveyed during the Great British Beach Clean-Up. As you may have read from Mike’s blog a few weeks ago the environmental impact of our overreliance on plastics can be devastating but we can all do something about it!

So what is Single Use?

That’s why we are launching our campaign to “Reduce Single Use”. Doing our part in reducing single-use plastic waste going to landfill, polluting our oceans and natural habitats.  “Single-use plastics, often also referred to as disposable plastics, are commonly used for plastic packaging and include items intended to be used only once before they are thrown away or recycled.” - United Nations Environment Programme, 2018 We’re calling on you, the members of JCI Southampton, JCI UK and JCI members all over the world to join us by taking part in our “Reduce Single Use” challenge from Monday 19th to Friday 23th August.  To kick the week off we will be holding a beach clean along Weston Shore on Sunday the 18th of August; to showcase the problem and to engage our members so they can see the impact for themselves.

Our challenge to you

Between Monday 19 and Friday 23 August we challenge you to make meaningful steps to reduce your reliance on single-use plastics. 

• Think about the choices you make - How much single-use plastic do you use in a typical week? Can you shop more ethically and local? What sustainable changes can you make to be a healthier, happier version of you, whilst benefitting our environment and encouraging the local circular economy?
• Reduce your use - Whether that’s going to the extreme of attempting to cut out all single-use plastics for the whole five days or simply making small but important steps to reducing your use, it all counts.
• Share your stories - Share on social media examples of where you've reduced your use and even share frustrating examples of plastic packaging overuse you find.  Use  #JCISotonReduceSingleUse to share ideas and to keep each other motivated.
• Start the habit - As well as taking part in our campaign we want you to start the habit of a lifetime. Whether you go big or go small in reducing your use for the 5 days, we hope you’ll continue the meaningful steps you take beyond. We also encourage you all to get involved yourself and organise a beach clean, litter pick or city clean up where you are. 

Need inspiration on how you can make a change?

Here are some useful resources:

• https://myplasticfreelife.com/plasticfreeguide/
• https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/10-tips-reducing-your-plastic-waste
• https://www.wwf.org.uk/updates/ten-tips-reduce-your-plastic-footprint
• https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/453T5Gp3FP6kmMrJBRS09d/resources
• https://www.greenpeace.org.uk/9-ways-reduce-plastic-use/
• https://www.lessplastic.co.uk