PP is back again on World Environment Day.
Where has the year gone with COVID-19 ravaging the world?? We are so lucky in New Zealand to be in the position we are in – maybe about to go to level 1 and back to normal life.
But the big question is …. given that there is going to be a lot of upheaval that we can’t control (and let’s be kind to the affected people) …. are we going to use this opportunity to make changes for the better for a sustainable environment, including curbing the plastic scourge. PP has said before: plastic has many great uses but our use of plastic has gone over the top into many unnecessary applications – the sheer size of the plastic waste problem everywhere in the world needs urgent action from governments and in the choices we make when we shop.
Plastic has been invaluable over the past few months for protective equipment for health and other essential workers and for COVID-19 testing kits. But as gaps appeared on supermarket shelves I found myself having to buy some necessary products – because my usual brands weren’t there – wrapped in unnecessary plastic eg toilet paper.
Speaking of unnecessary use of plastic …. I was in London in September last year and was disappointed to see the amount of plastic being used in shops and restaurants. I was on the look-out for an example of perishable packaging to photograph and put on this site. However, I was in central London for a week and did not see a single good example of PP. The chain ‘Pret’ had some great food but it’s plastic use was excessive. Salads and fruit salad in plastic – fine, but individual servings of hard foods in plastic containers with plastic lids – not fine!
Ahhhh London …. not sure when I will see you again x
Back to this year and COVID-19 …. Over the lockdown period we had a lot of stuff delivered to our house. Most of it was in paper and cardboard eg Arobake’s fresh baked goodies, Regional wines wine and beer, and Commonsense Organics boxes of groceries arrived with no plastic in sight.
Unfortunately, some suppliers haven’t got it yet. I received 2 bags of recycled paper kitty litter that comes in paper packaging – I use this brand because it is PP – contained in a horrible unnecessary plastic bag. Bad call Pet Centre! To be fair I have received the same delivery before in a cardboard box – when I asked – I didn’t ask this time because I was told last time they were trying to decrease their use of plastic. Apparently progress is slow.
See the photos below of an example of PP delivered to me by Pet Centre in uneccessary non-PP:
Last weekend my partner and I took our first trip out of Wellington since lockdown. We went walking in the Tongariro national park. We walked around Rotopounamu and saw lots of trees and birds and a pristine lake ahhhhhh 😍 There was no litter (except 1 tin lid on a beach which I did remove). This is what’s at stake:
PerishablePackaging 