One thing I've noticed here in the US is that there is trash everywhere, collecting in the "unspace", places where there is no movement or wind or people to brush them away.
A few things stick out – styrofoam cups, plastic drink covers, and plastic bags.
My proposal: Plastic is to be prohibited for uses where the lifetime of use is less than a day.
Can we start with that?
Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts could start by no longer using those plastic cup covers that have a very short usage life but a very long trash life. Next, all fast food places could stop using any sort of plastic for drinks, utensils, plates, covers,and wrapping.
I think the cost of whatever alternative we come up with to match the convenience and public health features of plastic will be significantly outweighed by the reduced cost to our environment and reduced pollution.
What do you think?
Check out the great promotion by the Body Shop (image inset).
[Yargh, clicked preview the first time and lost all this text… Retyping.]
Everything they give you at fast food places is thrown away, apart from the tray. I was impressed that in Finland they don’t automatically give you a plastic cup cover when eating in, unlike the UK.
But I was in Hesburger today and they’ve replaced those dinky paper ketchup pots with plastic ones… Tut tut…
It’s also good that they don’t automatically give you a plastic bag in shops in Finland, and in most supermarkets you need to pay. The UK has also started doing this, and the number of bags used has dropped dramatically.
Your idea sounds grand. It’s very stupid that these plastic cup covers and ketchup pots are only used for slightly longer than the few minutes it takes to wolf down your burger and slosh down your pop.