Eco Blog: Plastic Promise - Reduce Your Use

We've known about the devastating impact of plastics for more than a decade. It is polluting our oceans, killing wildlife and damaging our health. In 2018, there were an average of 625 items of litter washed up by the tide per 100m of Northern Irish beach, of which 78% were plastic. Yet our consumption of plastic continues to increase!

Live Here Love Here are challenging all of us to put an end to throw away plastics by making a Plastic Promise! You can Make your Plastic Promise as an individual, community group or organisation and reduce your plastic footprint. By making your Plastic Promise you will be added to the Plastic Promise Leadership Board, where can see where you appear and be inspired by others' pledges to ditch the plastic. 

Small steps can make a difference in reducing the amount of plastic we use, why not take on board some of the tips below?

• Swap out single use plastic bags and purchase a bag for life or reusable cloth bag to take shopping
• Ditch the plastic and opt for bamboo or metal straws
• Make your own alternatives to plastic products such as eco friendly bird feeders or bees wax wraps as previously shown in our blog
• Avoid single use plastic bottles by purchasing a reusable water bottle to take with you wherever you go
• Help reduce the demand for plastic wrapped food by purchasing loose fruit and veg in the supermarket
• Switch to shampoo bars - they take up a lot less space than plastic shampoo bottles and are better for the environment

To help you with your Plastic Promise, the Zero Shop at SERC are expanding their product range, with new items such as reusable water bottles, more shampoo bar varieties and bamboo and metal straws. Keep your eyes peeled for these items arriving!