How far away seem the innocent days of Greta Thunberg. Our kids bunked off school in the name of the environment whilst scoffing sweets stuffed full of palm oil. How naive I was to worry about the amount of school my son was missing. It was like skipping assembly in comparison to what was to come later.
Now we’re wrapped up in a global pandemic. What a luxury it would be to have nothing more to worry about than global warming. The only thing is, during lockdown I did have to worry about it. The worry was forced upon me because the bin men stopped coming. They stopped coming but supermarkets didn’t get the memo.
Remember all the warm words about reducing plastic waste? Plastic bag charges? We were all so fired up by David Attenborough. Then lockdown came along and I noticed the creep. First of all, we needed antibacterial hand gel. Millions and millions of plastic bottles were purchased, mostly small ones. Dozens of plastic packets of plastic antibacterial wipes appeared in the office. We were told soap was the best defence, but we chose soap in plastic bottles. There were refills which contained almost as much plastic as the original. The only thing missing was the pump.
I noticed the creep in other ways too. Icing sugar, which has been sold for decades in a compostable paper bag inside a compostable cardboard box, suddenly came in a plastic bag. Other products we normally bought looked different – supply lines had obviously changed – and more and more came in single use, throwaway plastic sleeves.
Meanwhile, as the binmen stayed home, our plastic accumulated. Once the recycling bin was full we started filling empty chicken feed sacks. When they ran out we switched to old builder’s bags, each one a metre square. We filled two to the brim and were on the way to filling another. Our mountain of plastic waste formed an ugly garden feature at the top of the drive. When lockdown ended and the council recycling centre finally reopened, it took two trips to get rid of it all. I happily waved goodbye to my waste with an uneasy feeling that it was being shipped to a developing country.
In my defence, we’re totally on top of food waste. Whatever is left by humans is offered to the dog. Next in the pecking order are the chickens, who get all crumbs, sweetcorn husks and stale biscuits. We even have pet pigs who guzzle old raw vegetables and stale bread. Whatever is left is composted, including cardboard containers. Generally, only bones make it into the food waste bin.
But we had to deal with our plastic problem, not out of environmental guilt but because we’d run out of room. We identified some of the most common components – pet food, fruit and vegetable containers and tonic bottles. All pet food, apart from biscuits, comes in containers with only one or two portions. Even with our household recycling fanaticism, we can’t escape the waste.
Some fruit and vegetables come loose. Yep, broccoli, onions and peppers. If you want to eat anything other than that for the rest of your life, more plastic waste. Then there’s tonic. I admit, we are probably unusual in this. Please don’t judge. We looked into a Sodastream and concluded each glass would cost more than buying the best tonic from Fortnum and Mason – assuming we even like the taste. It’s the same for other products – honey, mayonnaise, ketchup, spices – all more expensive in recyclable glass bottles.
We’re going to try again. We’re going to try harder. I met a couple at a party once who had cut all their waste to just one bin per year. Per year! We were in awe, but they admitted they spent a lot on ingredients from artisan delicatessens and suppliers. We asked them how they avoided the copious plastic packaging in children’s toys. They didn’t have children, but bought their nephews and nieces “experiences”. I loved the idea but I suspect it’s ok for quirky uncles while Santa is still expected to supply Barbie dolls and a PlayStation 5.
When the pandemic is over I hope Greta Thunberg gets back on her hobby horse and I can’t wait until David Attenborough can travel again.
Brexit is next. According to the Brexiteers we will have more control than ever over our supply chains.
Finally cutting the plethora of plastic would be a great first move.
Eleanor Bradford is a former BBC Scotland health correspondent who now works in communications in the education sector