Giving up Plastic for Lent?

Here’s a challenge for WIs and WI members. Why not try giving up plastic for Lent? Or for the month of April? Or any period of time you’d like – start today!

It’s been very interesting to hear this week’s pledge “to end the scourge of plastic” – eliminating all avoidable plastic waste by 2042, extending the charge for plastic bags, and urging supermarkets to have plastic free aisles. We have all been deeply stirred by The Blue Planet. Let’s hope the Government’s 25 year plan for the environment becomes a reality.

On this subject, a question has been raised: Wouldn’t it help to focus people’s minds on how much we use plastic if we try and give it up as much as we can for a while? The results could well be shocking and make us all take a hard look at our relations with plastic. And we should advertise what we have found. We thought that sounded a very good idea! So how about, for example, giving it up for Lent? Or for the month of April? Or any time you choose?

This might be something that catches your imagination too. We cannot give up all plastic –but we can do what we can to avoid it and give up as much of this “avoidable plastic” as possible for a while– think of all that throw-away single-use stuff that fills our shopping bags. So we can try just buying fruit, veg, meat that is not in plastic packaging. Forget single use plastic water bottles and use refillable ones, etc.

That would be a good exercise in itself. Or we can go further. We could collect the plastic that we have been unable to avoid buying and then challenge the shops that we bought it from – what are they doing about it? Particularly if you do this as a WI or in a group, you could invite the manager of your local supermarket to witness the pile of unavoidable plastic – or write to them and ask for a response! And tell your local paper and radio station too: This has high news value.

So why not have a go at giving up avoidable plastic? And let us know how you get on.

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