Member-only story
A Post-COVID Plastic Planet
Is single-use plastic back for good?
Before Lockdown I would go to the shops with my tote bags and try and avoid buying things too heavily packaged. I’d stop for a coffee in my reusable cup, which was rewarded with a small discount in most cafes in the UK. I’d formed some eco-friendly habits that I thought were here to stay.
Now I’m in and out of the supermarkets without the time to consider packaging, and handing over a reusable cup is out of the question. COVID-19 has put everything on delay and my effort to be eco-friendly is one of them.
Plastic is everywhere in our COVID world. Bottles of hand sanitiser, disposable masks, and plastic gloves are necessities. We’re bulk buying plastic-packaged food from the supermarkets and take-out food is replacing restaurant meals. In hospitals, there’s a fight for PPE (personal protection equipment) and increased medical waste to avoid the spread of infections. With health and hygiene becoming the central concern, being eco-conscious is having to take a back seat.
Governments have had to re-prioritise. In the US, New York and Maine have delayed various bans and charges on single-use plastic. In the UK, the 5p plastic bag charge has been dropped for food deliveries to speed up the process with the increased demand. Research also shows that companies are…
