WORD OF THE YEAR 2018 - SINGLE USE

I’m sure you’ve all heard the news recently about ‘single use’ being named as the word of the year 2018, but what does single use actually mean and why is it so significant?

Single use refers to products – mainly plastic, that are used once and then thrown away. So, these include, straws, baby wipes, cotton swabs, plastic plates, bottles and cutlery. These items are now being blamed for damaging the environment and affecting the food chain, including us! The European parliament plan on introducing a tax on plastic packaging and they have recently backed a ban on single-use plastics, coming into effect in 2021.

This word has increased significantly in the past few years due to the growing global awareness in environmental issues. From news segments, newspaper articles and TV programmes about how much plastic has been found in marine animals and birds and how damaging this really is to our planet has left an impact on us all. Plastic pollution is chocking our oceans.

But how can we help? It’s difficult to give up plastic completely as it’s a major part of our everyday life, but everyone can help with their small efforts. Ask yourself next time you’re out for dinner with the kids, do they really need a straw to drink with? What about those reusable shopping bags you always forget? Oh, and the most obvious.. baby wipes! Some brands contain up to 80% worth of plastic, switch to Jackson Reece, our wipes contain 0% plastic and are completely biodegradable and compostable. We should be dedicated to protecting our oceans and planet, not just today but for our kids tomorrow.