September 04, 2019

Aspiga’s tips on helping to eliminate single use plastics

Plastic pollution has hit public consciousness in a big way. Around the world governments, businesses and citizens are working to tackle the extraordinary amount of unnecessary plastic waste we throw out daily.

We are passionate about this subject and the avoidance of plastic is core to our brand ethics. We recycle as much waste as possible and are on a mission to be a zero-plastic office. Our Eco Collection is designed to help you reduce your plastic consumption and includes a range of bamboo cutlery, e coffee cups and bamboo cotton buds amongst other items.

If this subject interests you, but you are not entirely sure of what you can do to help, here is an update on the latest statistics and a list of simple things that you can do, if you haven’t yet taken action in some of the areas...

Plastic pollution can now be found on every beach in the world, from busy tourist beaches to uninhabited tropical islands.

- Scientists have recently discovered microplastics embedded deep in the Arctic ice.

- In 2016, a global population of more than 7 billion people produced over 320 million tons of plastic. This is set to double by 2034.

- Every day approximately 8 million pieces of plastic pollution find their way into our rivers and oceans.

  • - There may now be around 5.25 trillion macro and microplastic pieces floating in the open ocean.
  • - Plastics consistently make up 60 to 90% of all marine debris studied.
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  • - Approximately 5,000 items of marine plastic pollution have been found per mile of beach in the UK and over 150 plastic bottles litter each mile of UK beaches.
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  • - Recent studies have revealed marine plastic pollution in 100% of marine turtles, 59% of whales, 36% of seals and 40% of seabird species examined.
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  • - 100,000 marine mammals and turtles and 1 million sea birds are killed by marine plastic pollution annually.

We appreciate that some of you share our same values therefore if you have any ideas for helping to eliminate plastic from your lives or thoughts you’d like to share, we’d love to hear so please do get in touch at info@aspiga.com

Here are some simple ways you can help in your day to day life to reduce or recycle any plastic items:

  1. 1. Shop in zero waste shops (packaging free shops), where you can refill everything from shampoo and conditioner to bleach and washing up liquid and many dry foods such as nuts, pasta and rice. Go to thezerowaster.com to see a full list of shops and projects across the UK. When you visit, remember to take lots of your own containers so you can refill them.
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  3. 2. Lobby Government and write to your local MP about holding business responsible for cleaning up their act. Writetothem.com is a website that makes it easy to write to your local MP – even if you don’t know who they are.

  4. We should all do our bit whenever we can, but big businesses need to change their policies on single use plastic, including supermarkets using unnecessary packaging on fresh produce.

  1. In the Break Free From Plastic Coalition’s Global Waste Audit published in 2018, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and Nestle were found to be the most prolific plastic polluters. When it came to single-use sachets, one of the most prevalent forms of packaging for products like coffee or laundry detergent, PepsiCo and Unilever topped the list.

3. Use your voice, in your workplace, amongst friends and family, on social media, in shops, make it clear that single use plastic is no longer acceptable, there are alternatives.

4. If you haven’t already… then give up plastic bags altogether. Take your own reusable ones when you go shopping, and even on holiday. Always say no unless the bag is paper. A trillion plastic shopping bags are used worldwide every year, and 100 billion in the United States alone, that’s almost one per American citizen per day. The average Dane, in contrast, goes through four single-use bags per year. Denmark passed the first bag tax in 1993.

Over the past year we have changed our packaging to become more sustainable.

5. Skip straws (or only use the paper or vegetable starch ones…. Always ask) and say no to plastic cutlery, buy some bamboo cutlery sets…. See our selection here.

6. Don’t buy plastic bottles. Invest in a refillable water bottle and take them everywhere with you including business trips and holidays. See our selection of Swell water bottles here.

7. Don’t use disposable coffee cups. Take your own cup when you get your coffee. You might even get a discount! See our selection here.

8. Join your local beach clean-up. If you live near the coast, there are groups who organise regular beach clean-ups. They are both fun and a great way to make a difference.

Aspiga organised our first beach clean-up in Malindi, Kenya in June and July with local school children who we paid to help us clear the beach.

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