Why we need to talk to each other about plastic

You may have made a habit of cutting plastic waste in your own life. Bringing your reusable cup to the café, your water bottle to work and your tote bag to the supermarket. You’re in control. But we aren’t always in control. Think about what happens when we get together with friends, family or colleagues at parties, meetings, events, workshops, classes etc. More people + less time = polystyrene cups, plastic straws, cutlery, and bin bags ?

Collectively, we still haven’t got out of the plastic habit, the idea that disposable is easier. If your boss hands you a cup of tea in a polystyrene cup or your Uncle puts a plastic straw in your Christmas cocktail, is it really ok to refuse?

Yes, it is. But it can be hard to speak out in groups and nobody wants to be a nag, But with approx 8 million (that’s 8,000,000) pieces of plastic pollution finding their way into our oceans, we do need to talk about it and encourage others to do their “One Small Thing…” to reduce plastic pollution. We don’t mean condemnations or demands, but just bringing up the plastic problem in a conversation and asking “why has it been difficult to cut the plastic,” “how do you feel about it,” “do we really need this,” “what small thing could we do together” or “this is what I do” could be the beginning of something really significant. We are so much stronger when we support each other. Sometimes all we need is a little confidence.

Be active around plastic pollution. But also be talkative!

Unfortunately we’re all getting so used to seeing the terrible images of plastic pollution around the world, that we’re almost becoming immune to them. Even statistics that tell us how EVERYDAY approx 8 million tonnes of plastic finds its way into our oceans, have lost their ability to shock. That’s why we created #OneSmallThingMyNI to highlight some of the small everyday things you can do to reduce your use of plastic in the hope that together we can motivate and encourage others to reduce, reuse and recycle too.