October: The UK month without plastics

 

23rd October

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We are finding this month very tricky... we can get unpackaged fruit and veg but have not yet found a spot for things like rice, pasta, nuts and seeds although I know there is one nearish shop offering these up. We have a challenge to get there though, and with working and travelling for work our time is limited. This seems to be one of the big challenges to adjusting our lifestyle - especially when moving around a lot for visits to family, friends, different work venues etc - the amount of planning needed to keep us plastic free is proving tough during this period of our lives when we are short on sleep and time. 

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Feeling a little despondent this month, so... here is some progress in this space that I have heard about recently.
 

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Wales is banning single use plastics of many common varieties, the summary website here states: 

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"We aim to introduce Phase 1 of the ban of single-use plastic products on 30 October 2023 and for it to include:

• Single-use plastic plates – this includes paper plates with a laminated plastic surface

• Single-use plastic cutlery – for example forks, spoons, knives   

• Single-use plastic drinks stirrers  

• Cups made of expanded or foamed extruded polystyrene.

• Takeaway food containers made of expanded or foamed extruded polystyrene

• Single-use plastic balloon sticks

• Single-use plastic-stemmed Cotton buds

• Single-use plastic drinking straws – with exemptions so people who need them to eat and drink safely and independently can continue to have them

We aim to introduce Phase 2 of the ban of single-use plastic products by Spring 2026 and for it to include:

• Carrier bags – with exemptions including carrier bags for raw fish, meat or poultry and unpackaged food

• Polystyrene lids for cups and takeaway food containers

• Oxo-degradable plastic products"

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There has been a major push for reducing the use of plastics in public health, the EU "No harm Healthcare" movement is pushing forward to try and minimise plastic use across healthcare. Healthcare without Harm estimates 4.4% of our global greenhouse gas emissions come from healthcare (air travel is around 2% but gets far more coverage).  The aim of the healthcare without harm movement is to produce a circular economy for plastics throughout health, the efforts include reducing the amount of plastics being used:

• single use face masks to reusable ones that can be repurposed later,

• inhouse laundry and kitchen and ward reductions

• reductions in plastics for surgery use and triage​

• introducing alternatives to plastics for all purposes 

Many are sharing ideas internationally to aim for this circular infrastructure

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Sticking with a healthcare theme, medical waste was exacerbated by the COVID-19-pandemic and there are associated health risks for the inappropriate management of medical waste (World Health Organization, 2018). This academic paper by Das and colleagues in 2021 investigates the additional waste resulting from the pandemic and looks at how different countries have tried to manage the waste responsibly. 

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In Australia, doctors and nurses have recognised the huge waste issues associated with caring for people through pandemics. There is a project ongoing to recycle syringe caps from vaccines and repurpose these as things like wind turbines that is proving economically advantageous according to this news story.

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At least one of the major mosquito net manufacturers makes all its polyester and polyethylene materials that are needed for the net fibres out of recycled water bottles. The same company noted a project they have started that will make 'bricks' at the end of use-life out of the mosquito nets that can be used to burn for heating for various purposes or as building materials as needed. [source: personal communication from manging team]