Its estimated that over 12 million tonnes of plastic is dumped into the ocean every single year. Countless fish, birds, turtle, wales and marine creatures are killed each year by mistaking plastics for food. Over 90% of plastic is made from chemicals sourced from fossil fuels From its production to its slow breakdown in the ocean, plastic-related emissions hit the equivalent of 1.0 gigatonnes of CO2 in 2016, contributing to global warming.
Plastic is used for anything and everything. A single-use drinks bottle. A snack wrapper in a lunchbox. Packaging for the pasta destined for the dinner plate. It’s a direct product of our disposable and throwaway consumer economy.
The focus on recycling plastic at the end of its life, rather than reducing consumption, hasn’t stemmed the flow. In reality, only a fraction of the plastic in circulation in the UK can be recycled. We need to reduce, reuse and refill.
On behalf of the latest Plastic Free Buxton Champion, James Layton expressed his support for the scheme, saying “Plastic is a wonderful substance but our throw away attitude has led to it being a real pollution problem. We are very pleased to commit to reviewing our practices and removing unnecessary single use plastic from our operations. We have already made a start”
Derek Bodey, from Transition Buxton, expressed his delight at welcoming another business to the scheme which has already earned Buxton the first level of the SAS Plastic Free Community award. He said “It is wonderful that we have the support of yet another business in Buxton. Laytons commitment shows that single use plastic reduction is possible within an office environment. We would be delighted to welcome similar businesses to the scheme. Just go to our website to see how you can help tackle this problem and reduce your use of single use plastic and in turn the negative impact on our environment and health.”
As well benefitting all of us by reducing Leyton’s contribution to pollution, the effort is good for business. Increasingly consumers and business clients are keen to know that the companies they support are doing their bit for our environment and society. The scheme is open to any business or community group in Buxton.