Five single-use plastic items you don’t need in your life

THEY’RE the everyday items we’re all guilty of using but they’re having a nasty impact on the environment. Here are the five plastic pieces you can easily live without.

THE fight is on to save Port Phillip Bay from a toxic tide of plastic pollution.

And despite hordes of volunteers working tirelessly to rid the streets and beaches of trash, litter continues to pile up.

The staggering wave of pesky plastic pieces washing up along the coastline spurred the Leader to join forces with Port Phillip Council for the LoveOurBay campaign, which aims to tackle the rising litter scourge.

The LoveOurBay campaign aims to tackle Port Phillip Bay’s litter scourge

Beach Patrol Australia hit Port Phillip cafes with paper straw solution

Glass will be banned at Port Phillip beaches and parks from July 1

While tiny, unrecognisable bits of plastic make up the bulk of rubbish cleared by Beach Patrol volunteers, single-use plastic items are a major contributor to the debris.

We’ve come up with a list of five common plastic items you can easily cut out of your life.

Ever litter bit counts.

Swap plastic for paper or, like Paris, use a pasta straw. Picture: Mark Stewart

PLASTIC STRAWS

Straws, what are they good for? Absolutely nothing! Have we become so lazy we can’t lift a drink to our mouth and tilt our head back?

Data collected by Beach Patrol during a year-long survey at a section of Port Melbourne beach found 1434 straws were discarded or washed up along the 35m stretch of sand between March 2016 and 2017. And they were the third most common item found.

Sure, straws might seem convenient but they’re having a huge detrimental impact on the environment and ending up in the bellies of marine wildlife.

That single-use straw you threw away after enjoying your summer beverage by the beach will outlive everyone on the planet.

If you must use a straw, swap out plastic for paper or reusable stainless steel sipping aides.

And cafe owners, please think twice about serving straws with drinks. Let customers ask for them, that way you’ll won’t need to buy as many and there’ll be less chance of them ending up at sea.

Plastic bottles make up a huge chunk of the litter strewn along our beaches.

BOTTLED WATER

It seems silly people are still willing to hand over their hard-earned cash for a bottle of water when the water that flows from our taps is top-shelf standard.

Alas, a recent study by IBISWorld found Australia’s bottled water industry has grown at a rate of about 2.4 per cent over the five years to 2017-18, generating more than $764 million in revenue.

And what happens to the bottles once you’re finished hydrating? A vast number end up in landfill or waterways where they hang around for hundreds of years.

The issue has for years sparked calls for a container deposit scheme to be introduced in Victoria, giving people a financial incentive to recycle their bottles and cans and help reduce waste.

You can ditch plastic bottles by filling a reusable bottle and making your own carbonated water instead of buying it.

Take your own coffee cup to save the environment, and some cash.

TAKEAWAY COFFEE CUPS

Melbourne is a city of coffee drinkers, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be more environmentally conscious while partaking in our caffeinated beverages.

It is estimated Australians use as many as 2.8 billion disposable coffee cups and lids each year — alarmingly, that’s about 7.6 million thrown out each day.

Bringing your own reusable cup when you go on a coffee run will help the environment and could actually be a boost for your hip pocket, with some cafes offering discounts for people who provide their own drinking vessel.

For a handy map of places that rewards people who BYO, visit responsiblecafes.org

Scout was thrilled when South Melbourne Market went plastic bag-free in April. Picture: Wayne Taylor

PRODUCE BAGS/FOOD CONTAINERS

Most of the supermarket giants have stopped providing single-use plastic bags at the checkout and South Melbourne Market also this year moved to ban the bag.

But the flimsy bags used to carry your fruit and vegetables are still readily available and just as harmful to birds and aquatic creatures.

Instead of putting your baby spinach leaves in one of these, invest in some reusable produce bags or make your own from a lightweight mesh fabric — and because they’re breathable, your produce will actually last longer.

We all have nights where we can’t be bothered cooking, but those plastic containers your Thai takeaway is served in are a problem that can be solved.

Trashless Takeway offers a list of cafes and restaurants around Australia where you can BYO container.

You can also consider using glass containers and jars to keep leftovers fresh.

Beach Patrol Australia vice president Ross Headifen had created a range of landfill-biodegradable plastic items. Picture: Penny Stephens

CLING WRAP

No doubt there was a time when the invention of cling wrap was best thing since sliced bread but it’s now so common, it’s regularly found washed up along the sand by beach cleaning volunteers.

As above, consider using jars or glass containers to store things. Or, for a small upfront investment, you can get your hands on beeswax food wraps — they’re washable, reusable and come in pretty designs.

Beach Patrol Australia vice president and Port Melbourne scientist Ross Headifen has also created Bio-Gone Plastics, a line of landfill-biodegradable plastic products, including cling wrap, dog poo bags and bin liners.

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