Each year approximately 8 million tonnes of plastic are dumped into the worlds oceans, and around 60% of this is apparently down to 5 countries in Asia (Vietnam, China, Thailand, Indonesia and the Phillipines). Now, this is not to say that they waste more per person than western countries, they don’t (it’s far less), the main problem here is that the waste management infrastructure of these countries can not keep up with the rapid development and subsequent increase in plastic usage. They also have large coast lines so plastic waste usually doesn’t need to travel far to reach the sea.
When we discovered this statistic at around the same time we saw this video online, we decided that we needed to try and help do something about it.
What we propose is that (for a start) we all start using reusable (metal/bamboo/glass) or disposable paper straws instead of throw away plastic ones, with the eventual aim of getting the rest of the island to do the same. They are already easily and inexpensively obtainable so this is not an overly optimistic goal. All we need to do is convince as many businesses as possible to switch. The more people that do it the cheaper it will be as we can make joint bulk orders. When the amount we can order brings the price down to the same as normal plastic straws then there will be no reason why everyone would not switch over. Once whoever imports plastic straws to the island realizes that no one is buying them, they will stop selling them and will have no choice but to sell what everyone is buying. Once the big and small stores across the island stock bio straws and not plastic ones, our 1st mission will be accomplished and we would no longer have to import them ourselves. That is the beauty of supply and demand and the way the ultimate power of change lies with us as the consumers.
We have also been selling Trash Hero refillable bottles to our customers and starting to implement refill stations in hostels and hotels we use on tour in the hope this will eventually illiminate the excessive use of plastic water bottles.
Join us in our mission and do your bit to save our beautiful planet!
