How many people today grab a takeaway coffee cup from the local cafe to drink on the go? We don’t know, but the number must be enormous.. Most every one of the above have a plastic top that will last 100s of years. Some cafes still use plastic cups that last a similar time. Is 10 minutes of coffee worth 100s of years of trash?
These items can be seen littering our gutters and on our streets all over the place. If they were all cardboard, they would still be littered, but they would, at least, be gone in a short time.
They do not need to be made of plastic.
On the way home from the gym last week, a distance of about 1 km (1/2 mile), I counted the items of plastic litter on the curb as I walked. In that short distance I counted 63 pieces of plastic litter. Plastic drink bottles, bottle tops, candy wrappers, plastic film, polystyrene fragments etc. That seemed to be a lot to me. I guess it is a generational thing. Our parents would have been horrified to see that amount, whereas it seems to go unnoticed by our youth of today. In another 20 years how many pieces will there be on this stretch, -- 200? What will today’s youth think of that new amount then when they are older? Will their children be so readily accepting of a higher amount of litter? 
Australia’s oceans drowning in plastic waste –
Posted on May 30, 2024 by DrRossH in Plastic Limiting Regulations, Plastic Waste News
The inquiry into plastic pollution in Australia’s oceans has ended and the report has been tabled in parliament.
Source: Australia’s oceans drowning in plastic waste – Inside Waste
The Committee’s final report tabled in Parliament makes 22 recommendations aimed at strengthening Australia’s plastics management framework to minimise plastic waste to landfill, incentivise the use of recycled materials in the production of new plastics and strengthen management of the plastics that are already in the environment.
‘Without urgent action, plastic waste will increase and continue to negatively impact our oceans and waterways. Australia needs to act now to protect its natural environment for future generations,’’ said Chair of the Committee, Tony Zappia MP.
A key recommendation is the development of an updated National Plastics Plan in consultation with state and territory governments, industry, and the community.
‘‘The Plan should be nationally coordinated and increase industry accountability to reduce the amount of plastics ending up in landfill,’’ Zappia said. ‘‘Many Australians want to recycle correctly but inconsistencies among states and territories have led consumers to believe that certain items are recyclable or compostable when they are not. The Committee recommends nationally harmonising the single-use plastic bans, waste collection standards and the Container Deposit Scheme.
‘‘Packaging and recycling labelling need to be standardised and simplified to reduce confusion and help consumers recycle the right containers.
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