A trial by British supermarket firm Waitrose is set to shed plastic packaging by offering customers the option to buy package-free goods. Currently only available in its Oxford branch, the scheme is an interesting look at what the future may hold for retailers in the UK as consumers begin to make more ethical choices and demand for change grows.

 

Shoppers will be able to fill their own containers from a range of dispensers in the store that contain everything from breakfast cereals to alcoholic drinks. The move will be welcomed by campaigners who insist that plastic packaging is a major contributor to the damage currently being ravaged on our seas by waste.

 

A raft of recent programmes and media coverage have highlighted the damage that is being ravaged on not only our seas but also our climate due to poor ethical choices. The acclaimed Blue Planet television series on the BBC has helped to demonstrate this and has helped to create a wave of activism aimed at changing the way that humans interact with the environment.

 

What You Can Do

 

If you are concerned about the damage that humans are doing to the planet then you are not alone, there is a growing global movement that is trying to provoke change. This movement for change was seen recently in London as the Extinction Rebellion movement brought London to a standstill to protest about climate change. While in isolation it could be argued that the protest did little, it may have indeed helped to focus minds on the task at hand.

 

So, you may ask what you can do to help to limit climate change? Well, below we have listed a few simple ideas that could actually go a long way towards helping reduce the damaging effects that are undoubtedly being caused by humans on the planet.

 

Travelling by train

 

There is little doubt that the way in which we choose to travel can have a major impact on the environment. While today’s cars are more efficient and less polluting than ever before, there is no doubt that there are better options. Same goes for aeroplanes. While these modes of transport are often convenient for travelling large distances (especially aeroplanes), they are a nightmare for the environment; for instance, a single plane flight from London Heathrow to Edinburgh is equivalent to 336 cars making the same journey. By opting to use the train more often, you can help to reduce the catastrophic effects of both cars and aeroplanes on the environment.

 

Giving up plastic

 

This one is easier said than done as the world relies heavily on plastic. Annually we produce 300 million tonnes of plastic – 50% of which is single-use. While many businesses have already started to adopt practices such as the removal of plastic straws ahead of next year’s ban (plastic straws will be banned from April 2020), there is a long way to go on our levels of usage of single-use plastics.

 

There are, however, some options available to reduce your personal use of single-use plastics. In the supermarket, for instance, you can help to reduce plastic usage by opting to buy your fruit and vegetables loosely instead of in a plastic bag – fruit already has a protective skin, why on earth does it need a bag! Or how about that plastic straw? Many retailers now offer paper straws which are much better for the environment. Then there is one of the worst offenders: the takeaway coffee cup. Though recyclable options exist, coffee shops have mostly ignored them. These cups are a huge burden and cannot often be broken down successfully. So why not buy a reusable coffee cup and help to stop the waste?

 

Here at Spaceway we take this very seriously and have issued all our staff with reusable water bottles. There are also no plastic water cups on the premises.

 

A Long Road Ahead

 

While it is positive that action is being taken on waste, there is still much to do. The constant pressure has helped to produce changes, but there is still a lot that the average man and woman in the street can do to reduce their own impact. A few simple swaps made by a huge number of people can make an enormous difference to our climate. While we wait around for our governments to enforce change, we can help to reduce our own impact on the environment with a few simple ideas.