It has become harder and harder to be an ethical consumer when it comes to packaging. Even fruit and veg is packed in plastic punnets most of the time. There are several, biodegradable alternatives to the plastic packaging used by the big supermarkets for their own brand items. Too much emphasis is put on customers and their duty to make the right choice. This is impossible when there is no choice presented. The banning of free plastic carriers bags has shown how big an impact can be made when those who create and sell the problem take a measure of responsibility.

Micro plastics has a negative effect on wildlife and the environment

At present a large proportion of food packaging does not provide the consumer with recycling imformation either on the plastic tray, or the accompaning paper information. This lack of information means that a lot of recyclable plastic still goes to landfill. Conversely consumers may be presenting plastics for recycling having assumed them as recyclable when they are not.

Every council have differing recycling plans , all very confusing inconstant and inefficient , in cost and what gets recycled , So one template rolled out across will sort this out once and for all , winners the environment, nature , us , collection template , followed by new packaging laws

This is important as it not only strips away poor, endangered animals habitats but also increases deforestation greatly. Did you know that over 50,000 orangutans have died recently on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra due to palm oil deforestation.

I work in a shop and am horrified by the number of people asking for plastic carriers, sometimes just for one small item. We don't even charge them as we are too small. Multiply our shop by all the shops who give or even sell plastic carrier bags and the impact on the environment is immense. Many people now carry their own cloth bags and if plastic bags were not freely available, everyone else would learn very quickly, to do the same.

Reasons are mainly cause: They harm marine wildlife and ecosystems. They expose us to toxic chemicals. Why You Should STOP Using Plastic Straws? Science Says: Amount of straws, plastic pollution is huge. ... They figure that means 437 million to 8.3 billion plastic straws are on the entire world's coastlines. But that huge number suddenly seems small when you look at all the plastic trash bobbing around oceans. The use of plastic straws is killing the environment You’ve heard it on the news and across the internet — plastic straws are no good. Why? Plastic straws are no good because… Are Straws Recyclable? The average straw is made from polypropylene. This resin of plastic is identified as the number five when you look at its recycling code. Other things made from polypropylene include bottle caps, plastic cutlery, yogurt containers, etc. It is a highly recyclable plastic. However, there are different types of polypropylene — and the one used in the production of plastic straws is not widely accepted. Even some of the biggest recycling centres that DO accept polypropylene, DO NOT accept plastic straws. Why Using Plastic Straws is Bad? When straws cannot be accepted by your local recycling program and they are still included in the recycling bins, you’re creating a bigger problem. This negligence can cost cities millions of dollars to remove these straws from the items that can actually be recycled. Most plastic straws are used at restaurants and bars. Therefore, it’s completely up to the business to be environmentally responsible and find a proper recycling program that accepts plastic straws. The problem is, not many take this extra step. Straws that end up being thrown away (and recycled improperly) will end up in either landfills or floating garbage patches in the ocean. Even though straws are small, a lot are used and they can add up faster than most items that are thrown away. What You Should Do? Stop using all forms of plastic straws altogether. Do not buy them at the store and ask your server or bartender to hold off on giving you one when you order a drink. Live a straw-free life OR use straws made from recycled paper. Even though these straws became less popular in the 1960s (when plastic straws were introduced), they are still made and are the best option if you must use straws.

One tree supplies enough oxygen for four people- yes we all need our trees to breathe!

Crisp packets are not recyclable. Walkers run a recycling scheme, but drop offs either need to be in large quantities or a bin must be provided. The nearest bin is at the back of Hyde Park. With so many packets of crisps sold every day in LUU, we should be doing more to prevent them all ending up in landfill.

Dog Poo is hazardous to health, smelly, sticky and dificult to remove from car, carpet, shoes etc.Discarded Poo bags are unsightly, dangerous to livestock and wild life and are not generally bio-degradable so will remain where deposited for years.

We believe that this will greatly help protect the environment, providing a better world for future generations. Wildlife habitats have been lost to landfill sites, people and animals have become ill due to plastics in the sea eaten by small animals all way up the food chain and increased levels of methane gas have been released due to the plastic water bottles ending up in landfill. This needs to stop.

I love M&S food. It is a cut above many other food retailers and I was really excited to hear that I will be able to order online for home delivery with Ocado by September 2020 at the latest. I would love to be able to do a weekly shop with M&S especially during busy weeks when I don't have the time or the energy to cook a nutritious meal every night for my family. With an M&S meal you can be healthy and there is very little food waste, which is good for the environment. However, there is a big but - the heavy use of single-use plastic in their food packaging. You may have seen the story in the press about the cauliflower 'burgers' which were slices of cauliflower packaged in a large single-use plastic container. Single-use plastic is the kind that is used once and then thrown away, like food packaging, water bottles, coffee cups, straws and grocery bags. The problem is, every piece of plastic ever produced is still on our planet. There is more micro-plastic in the ocean than there are stars in our galaxy. Plastic is dumped in landfill and the ocean, and never biodegrades. It just gets smaller and smaller, and eventually ends up in our food chain. Supermarkets in the UK produce 800 000 tonnes of plastic waste each year and that figure is set to quadruple by 2050. Recycling is good but only 9% of plastic is recycled world wide. We recently learnt that 65% of the plastic we recycled in the UK was shipped to China until China refused to take anymore. The obvious solution is to reduce the amount of single-use plastic used. M&S have up to a year and a half to get ready for their home delivery service and increase in food sales. Whilst they upgrade the scale of food production, they have a unique opportunity to focus on the use of truly biodegradable, compostable packaging. Legislation is underway and environmental groups are lobbying the UK government to ban single-use plastic so all supermarkets will likely be forced to change their packaging in the future. The UN has told us we only have 12 years to limit climate change catastrophe. Let's ask M&S not to wait for legislation, but to demonstrate true leadership and responsibility and show other food retailers that environmentally friendly food packaging is not only possible but that we the customers want it.