Kathy Wivell, Somerset West
Unfortunately, I cannot read Afrikaans, but I could see that you ran a letter in the Wednesday January 17 edition of Bolander concerning plastic.
I was about to write to you as I am also concerned about plastic and I am working hard to reduce my own waste in all directions… water, kitchen scraps, etc.
I would like to ask other readers to also do this to help preserve our beautiful environment. Everyone can start in small ways such as:
Refuse plastic bags when shopping: always take your own cloth bags. (Optimum Health in Vergelegen Plein offered me a bag they had made from recycled pages of Bolander and I was very pleased);
Ask for bread rolls and loaves to be put into brown paper rather than plastic;
Do not put individual pieces of fruit and vegetables into plastic (e.g. a hand of bananas, a pepper, head of garlic or piece of ginger can all have the price stuck directly onto them);
If buying take-aways take your own container and see if the vendor will use yours. Do not use plastic cutlery;
Stop using plastic drinking straws;
Refuse to buy all cleaning and hygiene products that contain the micro plastic beads;
Support local producers wherever you can as they are usually happy to use your bags and containers;
Before you put anything into your dustbin imagine it multiplied by the population and piled up. Can you re-use or re-cycle?
Perhaps you could please run an article on which items can be recycled and how they are recycled.
I would be interested.
Thanks for the suggestion, it’s a subject I’m very interested in, and it’s gratifying to see how the younger generation is responding to the crisis (among others) of waste (mis)management.
While having a meal with my neices recently, who are both studying medicine, and also keenly interested in environmental wellness, they immediately sent the straws back that came with our water.
The conversation turned to our oceans, and impacts of plastic.
They also attend beach clean-ups, and are involved in the “green” portfolios with fellow students who live in residences.
The choices we make, big and small, can have a lasting impact.
I’ll get that recycling article started – Ed
