fly it in, fly it out
June 2008
My good friend Peter Stewart, who trekked around
Peru's Cordillera Huayhuash with me a few years ago,
is currently doing a stint in the Congo. In his
latest
blog post, Peter describes the consumables taken
to Africa from Britain that he has now brought home
with him for proper disposal. Around four kilos of
batteries, dental floss, razors and assorted
non-biodegradable items have made the round trip.
Of course, this represents just a drop in the ocean of rubbish that plagues our planet. Some people may even dismiss Peter's efforts as a token gesture.
But what if we all did this? What if we all brought used toothpaste tubes and empty pill containers back home with us rather than leaving them to rot in landfills or on hillsides in countries that have little or no ability to dispose of their own rubbish, let alone ours?
Better still, what if ever shopper removed one of the three layers of cellophane, plastic and cardboard surrounding a box of recently purchased cakes, and left the unnecessary packaging at the shop counter? If millions of individuals made such a token gesture tomorrow, you can bet your bottom dollar that within hours the staff at large supermarket chains would be wading through a sea of wrappers and pressurising manufacturers to reduce the amount of packaging.
Yes, I have heard the argument that consumers (think about that word for a moment) demand virgin products seemingly untouched by other humans, and also that packaging is necessary to prevent crushing. But come on, we put men on the moon. It's containers we're talking about here, not a cure for cancer. Surely intelligent packaging is possible?
What if every shop sold plastic bags for a pound or a dollar rather than handing them out for free (or charging just a few pence)? What if they were eliminated altogether? If Bangladesh can ban them, can't we? Is it really that inconvenient to travel to the shopping mall with an empty cotton bag or recycled rucksack?
Of course, this represents just a drop in the ocean of rubbish that plagues our planet. Some people may even dismiss Peter's efforts as a token gesture.
But what if we all did this? What if we all brought used toothpaste tubes and empty pill containers back home with us rather than leaving them to rot in landfills or on hillsides in countries that have little or no ability to dispose of their own rubbish, let alone ours?
Better still, what if ever shopper removed one of the three layers of cellophane, plastic and cardboard surrounding a box of recently purchased cakes, and left the unnecessary packaging at the shop counter? If millions of individuals made such a token gesture tomorrow, you can bet your bottom dollar that within hours the staff at large supermarket chains would be wading through a sea of wrappers and pressurising manufacturers to reduce the amount of packaging.
Yes, I have heard the argument that consumers (think about that word for a moment) demand virgin products seemingly untouched by other humans, and also that packaging is necessary to prevent crushing. But come on, we put men on the moon. It's containers we're talking about here, not a cure for cancer. Surely intelligent packaging is possible?
What if every shop sold plastic bags for a pound or a dollar rather than handing them out for free (or charging just a few pence)? What if they were eliminated altogether? If Bangladesh can ban them, can't we? Is it really that inconvenient to travel to the shopping mall with an empty cotton bag or recycled rucksack?