Submitted by Abigail Haddock
The Plastic Pause Fortnight is a challenge to not use, purchase or throw away plastic for two weeks, May 1-14, 2018.
The Plastic Pause Fortnight is non-partisan, non-political, non-funded, borderless and totally inspired and coordinated by volunteers from all over the world.
The Plastic Pause Fortnight was originally conceived approximately 30 years ago when a group of about 500 people were challenged to give up plastic for two weeks. The participants enthusiastically got involved and realized how much plastic especially plastic packaging was all around them. They made changes but over the years became complacent, unconscious of plastic use, fell back into old habits and began to use plastic again out of convenience.
Now 30 years later in a world dominated by plastic products and overwhelming plastic waste the challenge is being revisited. This is a great learning experience for families to become aware of how single use plastic is poisoning the earth and harming animals, sea life and humans.
By making some simple choices to use alternatives to single use plastic our plastic footprint can be reduced. Here are some suggestions: use reusable shopping and produce bags, carry reusable water bottles and coffee cups, put a set of reusable eating utensils, a food container, reusable straw and fabric napkin in the car for use dining out, use a non-plastic toothbrush and learn to make your own cleaning supplies using natural ingredients. Utilize the five R’s Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Repurpose and Recycle,
Learn some facts about single use plastic.
- The first plastic ever made is still on the earth
- Plastic never goes away it just breaks down to tiny particles that end up in the water system
- On average we only recycle one plastic bag in every 200 we use. Each year, an estimated 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bagsare consumed worldwide. That comes out to over one million per minute.
- Enough plastic straws are thrown away daily to circle the earth 2.5 times
- Americans used about 50 billion plastic water bottles last year. However, the U.S.’s recycling rate for plastic is only 23 percent, which means 38 billion water bottles – more than $1 billionworth of plastic – are wasted each year
- Plastic pollution affects at least 700 marine species, while some estimates suggest that at least 100 million marine mammals are killed each year from plastic pollution
- It is estimated that by 2050 there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish
Please join The Plastic Pause Fortnight and refuse single use plastic. The official challenge will go on long after May 1-14 and hopefully all will begin to make new conscious choices to choose alternatives to plastic and reduce their plastic waste.
Go to the Plastic Fortnight Facebook page for more information.
