Could we live without plastic? The terrible damage it has done to the natural world has inspired an urgent search for alternatives — but some are very difficult to find.
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The slow poison that we are all addicted to
Could we live without plastic? The terrible damage it has done to the natural world has inspired an urgent search for alternatives - but some are very difficult to find.
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What's happening?
People are very worried about the amount of plastic waste that we are creating. It is killing a lot of seabirds and other creatures who eat it thinking that it is proper food. The challenge is how to use less of it.
Over eight million tonnes of plastic are dumped in the ocean every year. It is creating a hazardous environment for sea wildlife, particularly sea birds like albatrossesA type of very large seabird..
But trying to get rid of plastic altogether is unrealistic. It is vital for hospital equipment and for keeping food fresh, as well as other things like growing crops. And we do not yet have a material to replace it with which would be as effective.
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Banning single-use plastic would be a good start. And we should replace everything that we can - for example, a lot of people are choosing to use bamboo toothbrushes instead of plastic ones.
But some people say it will never be possible for us to phase out plastic altogether.
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Could we live without plastic?
Yes! There are lots of other materials we can use, like bamboo for toothbrushes.
No! There are some things we will always need it for, like phones and TVs.
Keywords
Albatrosses - A type of very large seabird.
The slow poison that we are all addicted to
Deadly diet: Chris Jordan's shocking photo of an albatross killed by eating plastic. Glossary
Albatrosses - A type of very large seabird.