Our Education and Interpretation Officer, Cat, has been attempting to go single-use plastic free this month as part of the Marine Conservation Society Plastic Challenge. Why? Well, plastic is an incredibly durable material which has many uses but once it makes its way into the environment it can take up to 450 years to break down. Marine wildlife frequently ingest plastics in the sea particularly those which break down into micro-plastics.

Now almost the end of June, it’s been almost a month since she ditched single use plastics and it’s not been an easy challenge. Very few items in the supermarket can be bought single-use plastic free so a lot of loose fruit and veg has been consumed which was balanced out by lots of pasties as they are a simple go-to plastic free lunch. Plastic shopping bags, coffee cups and water bottles have all been switched for reusable items that do the same job. Toiletries such as toothpaste and deodorant have been tracked down and bought in metal and glass containers. Salad and herbs were grown in the garden and in pot plants and nuts, oils and washing detergent have been bought in bulk from wholesale or health food shops. Unfortunately some plastic items have been unavoidable. It’s a very difficult challenge but worth a go. Are you up for it? Search #PlasticChallenge on social media to see how thousands of other people got on with the challenge.