World Environment Day is celebrated every 5 June, and this year’s theme is saying no to single-use plastics and the pollution they cause. Disposable plastic bags, utensils, packaging and straws are in everyday use, yet most people are unaware that they can take up to a century to break down.
This year, World Environment Day has been used to call for an end to these misuses of plastic and the serious environmental impacts they cause.
The most common disposable plastic products have viable, sustainable alternatives:
– Plastic bags → fabric, raffia or paper bags, etc.
– Plastic bottles → stainless steel, leather, aluminium or glass bottles. Say no to plastic bottles in shops and restaurants: there is always a more sustainable alternative.
– Plastic cutlery → stainless steel, bamboo or corn-starch cutlery.
Plastic should be used responsibly, bearing in mind that marine life is hardest hit by plastic pollution. Large numbers of marine animals die every year from plastic-related causes.
These impacts are not limited to marine life: studies have found microplastics in drinking water in several countries.
So much disposable plastic is consumed, and it takes so long to break down, that a huge accumulation of plastic waste has formed in the Pacific Ocean, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, sometimes called the ‘seventh continent’.
As an environmental services company that cares about the environment, KEIKEN is committed to a present and future without disposable plastic, promoting reusable containers and environmentally friendly materials.
For our services or more information, email info@keiken.es or contact us.
