Plastic

What is one thing that has been with me throughout this entire project? The answer: the ubiquitous, sturdy, black plastic bag. I've always brought one with me on my excursions, and it has served me well, carrying the rubbish I put into it without complaint and resisting all loads, whether they be paper, cardboard, plastic or glass.

But today, while I brought my bag with me as usual, I began to think about what using it actually meant. Although I'm using it for a cause that I think most people would view as benefiting the environment, a plastic bag itself is not particularly environmentally friendly. I did not know whether the particular specimen I was using was biodegradable or not, for instance. But more than that, it was a product of a highly industrialised, chemically-dependent society - yet I was using it to do good to nature, which is pretty much the antithesis of our modern world as we know it.

Naturally, this threw me into a bit of a quandary. Was I doing wrong, by using this plastic item? Should I resort to biodegradable paper bags instead, or some other, more eco-friendly option? What was I to do?

Then it hit me - none of these options was really significantly worse than the others. Nearly every item that we use in the modern world - even biodegradable bags - is made through industrial methods of mass-production, and we are still a long way from making such processes carbon-negative, or even carbon-neutral. So I reckon that I will not really be changing much by switching my method of carrying the litter I pick up - indeed, I would be losing the aim of my activity if I thought too much about that. That is not why I am here.

Instead, I think that I need to focus more on my own actions, as the user of the plastic bag, and the person who can make sure that it is disposed of properly after it has done its job. I think that this will be more important to what I do for the environment, in this fundraising period.

Left: my loyal, but contentious, companion


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