During our recent conservation volunteering session on the acid grassland at Mill Hill, we unearthed a Mars bar wrapper that was still in quite good condition. The wrapper, manufactured from polypropylene in around 1985, is supposed to take 30 years to decompose in a landfill, but some estimates put this at more than 500 years. As you can see, our wrapper is about 40 years old and is still looking great, which isn’t such good news for the ecosystem it was deposited in.

Litter and waste, especially plastic waste is a huge problem for our environment, and one that’s entirely caused by human action. Litter harms wildlife: animals can get entangled in plastic waste, injured by broken glass and sharp metal from cans, trapped inside discarded bottles and containers or choke on plastic balloons and bags.

Plastic bottles (and other waste) discarded near waterways like the Thames or the Beverley Brook can get blown into the river by the wind and eventually end up in the sea, becoming another piece of ocean plastic.

The good news is that manufacturers are taking small steps towards ending the flow of plastic waste: for example, Mars started trialling paper wrappers last year in the UK, and many companies have pledged to decrease their plastic use.

The bad news is that the plastic tide is nowhere near stopping, with the amount of virgin (not recycled) plastic manufactured rising every year, to a level of 1,100 million tonnes by 2050. Only a small amount of this (less than 10 percent so far) is ever recycled, and we have now realised that plastic recycling, the long-advocated solution is not actually viable. It is messy, costly and for most plastics, technologically unfeasible. Even those plastic items that are collected in the UK and sent for recycling abroad may end up in landfills, burned or dumped into rivers and oceans.

We may feel powerless facing this issue, but together we can work on solving it. What can you do? Join us and help us make our green spaces SLOWER (Sustainable, Local, Organic, Work together, Environmental, Respectful). Come along on our Big Litterpick on 23th March, or organise your own (we’ve got litter pickers you can borrow). Choose to enjoy your cup of coffee from a real cup, sitting down, or carry it with you in a reusable one. Shop sustainably: choose local, reusable and (single use) plastic free. Organise a clothes swap, or join one of the council’s swishing sessions and renew your wardrobe.

Spread the word! Tell friends and family; see if your school would be willing to highlight this in their newsletter or perhaps even have a session investigating the journey school rubbish takes, as a way to link citizenship, geography, outdoor and classroom learning. Ask your workplace and your favourite retailers to make changes and reduce their single use plastic consumption. Join an organisation that aligns with your values, and support their work – become our Friend!

Some facts about plastic waste:

• Currently 10 percent of all global oil supply is used to create new plastic, contributing to climate change.
• Almost every single use plastic item is made from virgin plastic.
• It is estimated that 1,000 rivers are accountable for nearly 80% of global annual riverine plastic emissions into the ocean, which range between 0.8 and 2.7 million tonnes per year, with small urban rivers amongst the most polluting.

Sources: UNEP: United Nations Environment Programme, Greenpeace, Plastic Free Communities / Surfers Against Sewage, Center for Climate Integrity.