AKA why Anything But Plastic exists

Currently, trying to find plastic-free products is hard work for the average consumer in the UK. I want to change that. The UK needs to realise the realities of plastic pollution as an increasing threat to our ecosystems. Unless plastic-free alternatives which already exist are made readily available, this will not change, as unfortunately, most people won't spend the time seeking out these products.

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 The aim of Anything But Plastic is to bring together as many as possible of the individual brands and companies that produce plastic-free alternative products and provide a platform of convenience for the average consumer to purchase these goods. Cutting down on plastic should not have to be hard, inconvenient, or time-consuming. With this site I hope to get rid of these obstacles, which will hopefully bring about some positive change.

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Plastic pollution is an enormous problem, and it needs multiple solutions to tackle the extent of the damage already caused to the environment. My solution is to stop relying on plastic, as much as this is feasible in this age of plastic dominance we live in now.

 

Other solutions involve improving the recycling of plastics, which is a worthwhile cause. With so much waste plastic already hanging around in the environment, repurposing is a very helpful way to clean up this mess. That isn’t the end of our attachment to plastic, however, as even if we assiduously recycle, we are just passing on the problem to some extent. Once you know that plastic items never really break down, can only be recycled so many times, may not be recycled in your area, or are destined for landfill anyway, the realisation dawns that we might all want to rethink our reliance on plastic.

Eventually, we are going to have to give up disposable plastic for good. It’s totally unsustainable as a material, and once made, never really goes away. By showing people that plastic is not the necessity it is made out to be, we can all start to cut our own plastic consumption and stop adding to the mess. It’s not easy when plastic as a material is so ubiquitous, but we can only try. A few simple changes can make a remarkable difference to the amount of plastic waste you are responsible for. If you, like me, already have ‘plastic guilt’, give up some of that plastic crap! Our mountains, beaches, forests, parks, and even roadsides are worth much more than to be littered with plastic packaging and polluted with such disposable rubbish.

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Plastic as a problem might not be something you have thought about, as it is such a mundane part of everyday life, but just try and notice how many things you come into contact with in just one day that is made of plastic. Do all of those things have to be made out of plastic? Really? Just taking a moment to consider that gives you an insight into the scale of the problem we are facing.

 

Some may argue that the onus is on the businesses that make the products we use to tackle the problem, and yes, whilst this is true, that does not omit the responsibility of the individual. If we are all happy to go on buying water in plastic bottles, cosmetics with plastic ingredients in etc. then fine, what problem? Sticking our heads in the sand isn’t really going to help. Mainly because the companies producing all this plastic crap do it because they are making money…from us.

 

Choosing to boycott plastic as part of a lifestyle change makes more sense to me. Deprive those plastic polluting companies of their profits and maybe they will start to change. If not, you’ve individually made a difference to the amount of plastic you will use in your lifetime, and you’ve probably helped some local businesses as well as living healthier lives because of it.

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So….. Where does that leave us?

Well, hopefully, I’ve got you all fired up about plastic pollution as an issue and I am sure, if that is the case, you desperately want to know what you can help do about it.

Don’t worry, I am FULL of suggestions.

 

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If you are hungry for some delicious plastic facts and stats, head on over to

FAQ’S,

an inevitable tapas of queries and sumptuously sweet answers for desert.

 

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Have I got you righteously angry enough for my

blog?

 Froth at the mouth in apoplectic rage at the tales of plastic woe I tell there.

 

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More of an action wo/man?

Channel your inner bull in a china shop and charge headfirst into the

shop.

Don’t worry, I won’t charge for breaking the virtual representations of products. Rampage to your heart's content!

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