Are we all Plastic Junkies?
The secret addition we all share in the Western world is our dependence on plastic - especially plastic bags!
As Kilmarnock moves towards plastic-bag free shopping status following Heal the Earth Ayrshire's campaign, a survey revealed that the majority are in favour of clearing those bags out of the town. In an awareness day at Asda, Kilmarnock 113 out of 120 asked were happy to support the idea and 101 were already bringing their own non-plastic bags to do a shopping.
Now, plastic-bag free shopping is one thingbut plastic-bag free living is quite another. This takes us one step further in our thinking towards clearing plastic bags and plastic everything out of our living. 6 undaunted members of our group took up the challenge for one week. It proved quite a challenge but so do all addictions!
We all kept a diary of their experience of life without plastic bags, large carriers or small, for loose veg, etc. None for 7 days and nights.
It so happened, it was an especially wet week. Don't we all know how useful plastic is for keeping things dry? A test of convictions came on Day2 when walking around Cumbrae with a rucksack containing lunch in a paper bag in pouring rain for hours. Was it a miracle or beginner's luck? The food emerged dry from the bag when tissues and everything else were sodden and the rucksack dripped a puddle on the floor. Passed with flying colours.
Minor and major problems were faced such as lining the kitchen bin with a plastic bag. This habit shows signs of dependency as people hug this habit tightly and behave as if life itself hung around whether the bin had a plastic bag liner. This challenge for most people is a major one. In fact it disturbed marital harmony when one husband could not cope with his partner's revolutionary notion to do away with the liner. Another member after confronting his guilt about holding out with his bin liner concluded, 'Bins can be lined with old newspapers and plastic liners are just a luxury.' This is also a simple biodegradable alternative and the real problem here may be coping with the change for some of us.
Useful eco-friendly ideas which emerged were, using a bucket instead of a plastic bag to go brambling, wrapping a wet swimsuit in a towel after use, carrying an extra cotton bag in your pocket or bag just in case, reusing a bread wrapper to wrap a sandwich (or is this cheating?) or use a plastic box, wrapping a parcel with brown paper and string (yes you can still buy it as it survived the plastic invasion). Results showed being resourceful helped.
One challenger commented, 'I lived without plastic bags for 8 days. I am used to it now.. I can just carry on. It will be part of my eco-lifestyle. Good bye plastic bags! Welcome brave new natural era!'
How about you? Are you ready to pick a challenge and Join-the-Natural-Bagwagon?
Heal the Earth Ayrshire is working with local businesses to encourage their cooperation to:
- Check if someone wants a bag before handing one out.
- Supply paper carriers, cotton/jute bags and small paper/sustainable bags.
In Kilmarnock alone, as a plastic-bag free town, this would save around 600,000 bags from polluting the environment. 'Plastic bags pollute the environment in production, in disposal, even when recycled,' says Jan Sinclair, Chairperson. 'They often end up in the sea destroying wildlife and take up to 100 years to break down into small particles which enter the food-chain. They release hormones which have a feminising effect reducing sperm count in males.' The solution is to say NO to plastic bags!
In Sept 2009, the change is visible as shoppers produce their own fabric bags at checkouts. Bags of all colours, styles and fabrics are in evidence around Kilmarnock. Evidence too of the 500 local shoppers who signed to support the campaign to see Kilmarnock as the 1st Plastic Bag free Town in Ayrshire.
So what have we done?
Phase 1 -2008
- Visit to all supermarkets & most local shops in the town centre. Achieved March-September 2008. Many head offices were contacted. 22 local shops are already plastic bag free!
- April 24th 2008 gained support of Provost Young and East Ayrshire councillors.
- We made bags from recycled bedding, hand-printed with the campaign logo.
- Public awareness raising events at Kilmarnock's Farmers' Market (March, May, June), Environment Fayre at Auchincruive(Sept), Volunteer Scotland open day, Podcast Roadshow (Nov).
- Funding from East Ayrshire Council (Sept).
- Bookmarks were distributed through Dick Institute library.
- Events in Asda, Morrisons and Lidl supermarkets (Nov) to persuade shoppers to choose re-useable bags. Over 400 people signed to support our campaign.
- Publicity throughout 2008 in the Kilmarnock Standard, Killie Bites, online at www.thepodcastroadshow.co.uk & WestFM.
Phase 2- 2009
- Address Kilmarnock Retailer’s Association and Kilmarnock Rotary Club (March).
- Stall at Ayrshire Intergenerational Event, Kilmarnock Academy, to inform & enlist help of local groups.
- Plastic Bag-free slogan competition, which 8 local primary schools entered(March).
- Three winning designs were hand-printed onto unbleached cotton bags to be given free to shoppers. This was all hands on deck for group members. Luckily we could use the Cabin on Glebe Road as printing workshops!
- Lobbied Scottish parliament to bring in a law to ban the use of free single use plastic bags.
- Worked with local businesses, including Kilmarnock Prison, in sourcing a locally made, cotton bag…a bag with as little a carbon footprint as possible and support local people at the same time. Kilmarnock Prison have offered to make bags from recycled sheets, as they already have a laundry contract to wash and sort these, this would be a good option which we are exploring (July)
- The possibility of a locally made cloth bag, promoting the identity of Kilmarnock, is being discussed with Kilmarnock Retailers Association.
- Free bag distribution events at Tesco (July)and Bon Marche (Aug).
- Presently we are exploring an event at Aldi and another shop in the town centre (to be confirmed).
We would like to thank East Ayrshire Council for supporting us and funding us for the Plastic Bag free town campaign 2008/9.