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A-Focus-on-Saving-Lives

Reduce your footprint

Driving back to Kaslo today I listened to a segment on the radio about the UK banning plastic drinking straws.

The emotion behind the decision was assisted by a recent YouTube sensation of a sea turtle with a straw stuck in it’s nose.

It made me recall a discussion with my wife. Jackie was telling me recently that in a recent report something close to 80 per cent of all recyclable plastic ends up in the garbage dump; the rest used to go to China to be recycled.

That was until the end of last year when China stopped accepting plastic for recycling, giving the whole world a very big problem.

Plastic, although much of it can be recycled, still ends up polluting the planet in a variety of different ways.

For example, there are massive floating islands of plastic drifting in the oceans of the world. Coral reefs are being damaged by plastics and animals suffer with original plastic products or now micro-beads of plastic in their intestinal tract.

Since the 1950s, several billion tonnes of plastic have been consumed. It is a product that is resistant to decay, so unless we recycle, reuse or break it down to it’s original components, the problem will keep mounting. 

That is, unless we decide to “reduce”.

Why do we as consumers and suppliers use so much plastic? How difficult can it be to reduce our personal plastic footprint?

Earlier this week I was giving a speech in Florida and I met a Consul General for the Netherlands who was telling me of a recent trip to Rwanda. On arrival at customs she has to show a gift that she had bought for a family member.

She was surprised that the customs officer took the package from her, removed the gift from the plastic bag and then carefully placed it in a paper bag and gave it back to her. Plastic is not allowed in Rwanda.

I know, for me, I don’t use typical bathroom products in plastic packaging. I won’t buy bottled water (unless absolutely necessary) and my wife diligently uses our own shopping bags.

Does it make a big difference? Well, it might to that one sea turtle; or, if we all changed our habits, we could gradually see change on a larger scale, something that my good friend Bob Purdy would love to have seen in his lifetime.

Next time we want to complain about a manufacturer and the plastic waste you just witnessed at the landfill, ask yourself, "Am I a consumer of plastic? Am I part of the problem or part of the solution?"

If nobody purchased products in plastic bottles, manufacturers would not be producing them.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.



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About the Author

Mark has been an entrepreneur for more than 40 years. His experience spans many commercial sectors and aspects of business.

He was one of the youngest people to be appointed as a Fellow of the prestigious Institute of Sales and Marketing Management before he left the U.K. in 1988.

His column focuses on ways we can improve on success in our lives. Whether it is business, relationships, or health, Mark has a well-rounded perspective on how to stay focused for growth and development.

His influences come from the various travels he undertakes as an adventurer, philanthropist and keynote speaker. More information can be found on Mark at his website www.markjenningsbates.com

He is a Venture Partner with www.DutchOracle.com a global Alternative Investment company.

Mark Jennings-Bates:
[email protected]
 

Photo credit: www.SteveAustin.ca 



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The views expressed are strictly those of the author and not necessarily those of Castanet. Castanet does not warrant the contents.

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