Two billion people worldwide have no bin collection of any kind.
This means they have no option but to live among piles of waste, dump it in the open, or burn it.
In developing countries, a person dies every 30 seconds from diseases caused by plastic pollution and rubbish.
And of course the environmental damage caused by plastics ending up in waterways and our oceans is huge…
In many poorer countries, the waste crisis is compounded by rubbish which is imported illegally from countries such as the UK.
Although intended for ‘recycling’, much of it ends up in landfill or open dumps because of limited environmental regulation and inadequate waste management in these poorer nations.
Today’s action, as you prepare for Christmas, is to think about how you can reduce the amount of waste you produce by opting for plastic-free alternatives.
We've thought of four simple ideas you could try this year....
Here are some ideas:
1 Replace sticky tape with string and recycle old Christmas cards into gift tags.
2 Print brown paper using paint and stencils instead of using plastic-coated wrapping paper, or opt for reusable paper gift bags.
3 Avoid plastic ribbon in your wreath, decorations or presents, and use natural alternatives such as sprigs of holly, rosemary, cinnamon sticks or dried orange slices.
4 Give plastic-free gifts to encourage friends and family to consider more sustainable choices, such as a shampoo bar or a foldaway fabric shopping bag.
If we can all reduce our plastic waste a small amount, the cumulative effect will be really significant.
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