Plastic was always one of those things where I knew deep down that something couldn’t be right – where does it all go? But as with many things that I dismiss because I don’t think there’s anything I can do about it, I pushed it to the back of my mind and carried on, thinking “I’m sure someone, somewhere, is sorting it out.”
I went to a screening of A Plastic Ocean on World Environment Day which really opened my
eyes. It hammered home the fact that there’s no such thing as throwing plastic “away”.
While it may leave my house and be out of sight and out of mind, the packaging for my face
wipes will probably be around for hundreds of years and I am unwittingly causing harm to
life in our oceans.
So I thought, “Right, I need to get rid of everything plastic in my life.” I was completely
overwhelmed with how much plastic there is in my life and it all of a sudden felt like an
impossible task, but I’ve since learned that gradual change is better than no change at all.
One less bit of plastic in the sea must be better than one more.
I’d already made a few small changes like getting a reusable water bottle, but my first big
change has been ditching my bottled shampoo and conditioner. I opted not to go for the
shampoo and conditioner bars at a well-known high street brand as their ingredients aren’t
as natural as they would lead you to believe, but instead went for shampoo and conditioner
bars from Funky Soaps, a London-based company which makes 100% natural shampoos,
conditioner and soaps. Now, there is an “adjustment period” as hair needs to get used to
the change and my hair is more 80s fright wig than silky smooth loveliness, but I’m going to
persevere!
Katherine Cotterrell
Community Champion