Let's Put Pressure On The Big Guys

There has been so much in the news lately about excessive use of plastics. This week we saw a family trying to live without plastic for a week. Whilst I admire enormously the people who make this effort I'm not sure if it is really possible to live completely without plastic at the moment. It also puts the onus on us the consumer rather than on where it should lie with the big guys, the supermarkets. God forbid Tesco, Asda and the like should change anything that may eat into their massive profits! But maybe if all of us changed our buying just a little bit, rather than a few people changing it a lot, they may have to.
   There are the obvious things that so many people try to do such as buying loose vegetables in the supermarket rather than the prepacked variety, shopping from a butcher if possible ( I know that is not easy these days) or taking a reusable metal water container around with us rather than a plastic bottle. Though maybe we should be asking ourselves do we really need the water bottle at all. Before the 1990s nobody took water around and I don't remember anyone dying of dehydration in the street!
   I bought this little thermos flask at a jumble sale for 20p and we always take it on picnics and days out. I loved it as it was just like the one I used to take to school with me with hot drinks or soup in. (Wouldn't it be nice to get back to those days). No take away coffee drinking for us!

   Lovely though it is it is a bit big to carry about all the time so I have decided I am on the look out for something smaller. Something old so I feel I am recycling and something with a bit of character. I shall enjoy the search.
   But back to the serious issue. I am going to change my shopping habits by one or two items a week. I intend each week to change something I normally buy in a plastic bottle or container with something in a glass or card one in a gradual change away from plastic. I don't mind paying a little bit extra to help the environment but can't afford to pay a lot more so it will be a challenge. When I popped down to the Co Op this evening I thought I would buy the olive oil we needed in a glass bottle rather than the usual plastic one. All the Olive Oil in the Co op was in plastic bottles so I bought this bottle of Rapeseed Oil in a glass bottle instead. I had been meaning to swap to support British farmers who produce it, so now seemed like a good time.

However it was £4.19 for a 500ml bottle compared with the usual £2.25 I pay in Asda for the same amount of  Olive Oil in a plastic bottle so already the price is higher. I think I'll have a look in Lidl this week for some items. I searched around for some fruit juice my youngest daughter likes but even the very expensive makes were in plastic bottles. In the end I gave up and bought a bottle of wine. Oh well at least it was in a glass bottle!