DEAR Editor,-
I would like to touch on the subject of plastic – a topic I’m sure everyone is fully aware of, unless they have spent the last five years in total seclusion.
As a resident of a country that is, if not first world then definitely not third world, I suggest that we have an obligation to mitigate the poisoning of our marine environment for future generations.
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However, after the extreme recent rains, as a nation we are sorely lacking in this regard.
Anyone walking any South Coast beaches would have been more than aware of the plastic debris carried down our waterways, spewed into the ocean and then cast ashore by tidal forces.
Plastic bags, bottles and straws being the main culprits – really? Straws?
We can only imagine how much of this waste did not reach the blighted shore and was instead consumed by the great ocean that surrounds this idyllic coast.
It will eventually result in being regurgitated into the food chain and in decades to come, be part of future generations’ DNA.
Be that as it may, what really concerns me is the lack of concern.
Do we really need straws?
On many occasions at local food and beverage establishments I have asked customers drinking with straws from a perfectly clean, glass or bottle ‘Why the straw?’ – with no rational response.
It is also standard supply in all fast-food establishments. Have we evolved to the extent that as a human race we are unable to drink from cups/glasses/bottles without the assistance of a straw?
I implore residents – no straws, please.
Another seemingly mundane query is, when purchasing non-prepackaged fruit and vegetables from stores, why are we supplied with plastic bags as opposed to paper bags?
Yes, this has commercial implications for both vendor and consumer, but what is the actual impact on consumers? Marginal at best.
Are there no eco-friendly alternatives? Banana leaves for example – and we have a fair amount in SA, especially on the South Coast.
And question local stores about packaging when purchasing a few items of fruit and vegetables. Maybe visitors will pick up on this and take the message home.
Perhaps the next rains will leave somewhat less plastic behind.
We have the opportunity to educate visitors, but only if we educate ourselves first. One lives in hope.
TRUK REPOOC
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