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Re-isle

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Refill... Re-isle!

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Encouraging and helping the Isle of Wight community & local businesses and events to reduce their plastic waste!

Why reduce your consumption of plastic?

Single use plastics account for about half of the plastic pollution in the ocean. These are things like plastic packaging on food items that is difficult to recycle and plastic bottles. Reducing our consumption of single use plastics is crucial in preventing further plastic pollution - at our current rate of plastic use, scientists estimate there will be more plastic in the sea by 2050 than fish! 

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How to reduce consumption? 

  • Reduce - Reduce the amount of single use items you buy. 

  • Reuse - Reuse things you already have.

  • Recycle - If you do need to dispose of a plastic item, make sure you are recycling it correctly so it doesn't end up in landfill. 

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What is Planet Aware doing about it?

We are passionate about encouraging others to reduce their plastic consumption and live more sustainably for the sake of our oceans. We use our presence at events to raise awareness. We also team up with businesses and event coordinators to reduce the plastic footprint of their activities. 

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What can YOU do? 

There are many ways to reduce your single-use plastic consumption. Here are some things you can do:

  • Buy plastic-free produce

  • Ditch single-use plastic items in favor of reusable/refillable items (e.g. straws, coffee cups, water bottles)

  • Use tupperware and other containers (e.g. glass jars) to store food instead of plastic baggies or clingfilm

  • Take reusable bags when you go shopping

  • Buy necessary plastic items things second hand 

  • Compost your food waste if possible

  • Try out refillable cleaning and laundry products  

Find out more ideas by following the links at the bottom of this page. 

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If you are a local company, see our blog post on how to reduce plastic consumption as a business.

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Is biodegradable / compostable the solution?

Short answer: No! The majority of single-use items which claim to be biodegradable and compostable are only able to degrade in specific conditions and often end up in landfill anyway. With this method, we are still using materials to create items that will be thrown away. You can still choose to purchase these products but know that they are not the best solution to reducing plastic use. 

 

So what can we do instead?

The best solution to single-use plastic will always be reusables; for example, reusable water bottles, coffee cups, food storage, carrier bags, and more. Using items made from natural and more eco-friendly materials like bamboo is also a great way to use less plastic, but watch out for greenwashing as they may not be as sustainable or ethical as you think.

 

There is also a larger-scale idea called the circular economy. In a true circular economy, no items will be made from raw materials or thrown away, everything will be recycled back into the economy and made into something else. Until this is a reality though, we must do our best as individuals to reduce our consumption of single-use plastic by reusing what we have and, if we have to use plastic, disposing of it correctly. 

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