Plastics
Courtesy Professor Peter Ryan, Director FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology
What’s to become of this plastic?
Some suggestions:
Suggestion for managing your plastic
Author of video is unknown, but thank you.
Orange fruit bags: Keep to re-use again and again when buying loose fruit and vegetables. Use as an exfoliator.
Photo courtesy of Judi Wells
Plastic rings
Wild duck trapped in a plastic ring
Cut the plastic rings on your bottles before disposing
Fishing line
Photos of dead seal
Photo courtesy of Andrew (Wacky) Stewart
Photo of Cape Gannets on Bird Island Algoa Bay caught in fishing line.
The central bird was foul hooked by the fishing lure on its breast, and the other two birds were presumably snared subsequently
Photo courtesy Leshia Upfold. Leshia works in the seabird section for Department Forestry Fisheries and the Environment.
Photo courtesy Leshia Upfold. Leshia works in the seabird section for Department Forestry Fisheries and the Environment.
Please discard line in fishline bins
If there is no bin to hand or it is full of dog faeces in plastic bags take the line home and cut it up
Photos courtesy Verona Veltman
Surgical masks
Reports of wildlife entangled in discarded face coverings appear to be increasing. Please remember to dispose of your masks correctly, and cut the strings to prevent injuries to wild animals. Thank you.
Photo credit: Mary Caporal Prior
This seagull had to be freed after becoming tangled up with a face mask in Chelmsford, Essex.
— Sky News (@SkyNews) July 21, 2020
Charities have voiced concerns that masks are posing a risk to the environment.
Latest videos here: https://t.co/r66hunypEe pic.twitter.com/VI40tZ2639
Cut strings off mask, cut up mask
Better still use a material face mask which can be washed and worn more than once.
Photo courtesy of Colin Milliken
Dental hygiene
Cut your floss before disposing
Photos courtesy Judi Wells
Or buy biodegradable dental floss (this one comes in a glass bottle) Available at Clicks
Photos courtesy Judi Wells
Biodegradeble range from Colgate. Available at Clicks
Photos courtesy Judi Wells
So what do we do now?
Each one of us must ask ourselves ‘what can I do to save our planet’?
Educate:
- Educate ourselves, and where possible others, to the uses and consequences of using any type of plastic. Arrange for the people who work on your property but live elsewhere to bring their cleaned plastic recycling to your home to put into your recycling bag.
- Lobby our retailers and local shopkeepers to stop using, particularly single use plastics.
Do:
- Reduce your dependence on plastic products.
- Set up a recycling system in your home.
- When out for a walk pick up litter. If it is recyclable plastic take it home and put it in your recycling bag.
- Ask your butcher to wrap your meat in paper. Or take your own containers.
- Wherever possible stop using plastic. It is not necessary to put that bunch of bananas, two onions, three tomatoes, a loaf of bread into one of those fine Polyethylene plastic produce bags. Where possible buy loose fruit and vegetables and put them into a brown paper bag or box.
Don’t:
- Don’t buy water in plastic bottles, use re-usable glass.
- Don’t buy plastic carbonated cold drink bottles, buy cans.
- Don’t buy coffee in Styrofoam or take-away cups, take your own travel mug.
- Do not use plastic straws.
- Never use balloons.
- Choose not to use cosmetics which contain microbeads.
- Stop using single use plastics
Think twice about what you buy – do you need it? Can you live without it?
Buy local. Fight litter and littering wherever possible!
