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Lockdown Litter: Tourism, Plastic Pollution & Playing Our...
We're currently undergoing a litter epidemic. How bad is our single-use plastic problem and what can we do to fight 'lockdown litter' in the UK? For many families, the coronavirus pandemic has pressed the pause button on all spring and summer travel plans. That fortnight soaking up the sun in the Canary Islands? Forget it. Seeing the historic sights of Europe on a long weekend? No-go. As a result, we're now looking closer to home to satisfy our wanderlust, exploring the natural beauty and wonders contained within the British Isles. But there's also a downside to this - a new litter epidemic. Whilst many people have been flocking to our beautiful beaches and popular public spaces, they have not been leaving without a plastic trace. As well as being unsightly, discarded rubbish results in a spike in plastic entering our seas, posing a mortal danger to marine and aquatic life. Check out our refillable Water Bottles now! According to a recent report by Defra and Keep Britain Tidy, the most littered item in the UK is the small plastic bottle ”accounting for 25% of all our litter. So, what's the relationship between travel and single-use plastic pollution? How can we do our part to fight lockdown litter? The single-use scourge: The travel industry is a big-time plastic polluter Our planet pays a very heavy price for our love of travel. Many popular tourist destinations simply don't have the recycling infrastructure in place to cope with the level of plastic waste that we consume on holiday. According to a WWF report, the 200 million people who flock to coastal resorts every summer contribute a 40% spike in plastic pollution going into the sea. It's been reported that 150,000-500,000 tonnes of macroplastics enter our oceans every year - enough to fill 66,000 rubbish trucks, and bear in mind that each piece takes hundreds of years to decompose. The health risks of this to marine life are well understood; sea creatures can suffocate and choke on large pieces of plastic, mistaking them for food. Microplastics, the less visible but no less ubiquitous or dangerous polluter, number approximately 70,000-130,000 tonnes per year, to the deleterious effect of aquatic life. These tiny, microscopic fragments enter the food chain, threatening not only animal but even human health. Microplastics can get everywhere, even found in tap water samples in European countries. According to the UN, if the travel industry went about its business˜ as usual, by 2050 we would have a 251% increase in solid waste disposal and a 131% increase in greenhouse gas emissions. We have a big plastic problem on our hands. The good news is that it is possible to clean up and protect the sea from plastics. But this requires the commitment and collaboration of all: governments, businesses and individuals. With global air travel falling significantly due to coronavirus and the ensuing lockdown, foreign tourist destinations and their nearby seas are getting some much-needed respite. The solution, therefore, must be a more sustainable way of travelling and enjoying the world's many stunning tourism hotspots. Individuals, businesses and governments all have a big role to play in quashing single-use plastic pollution. The scourge of UK lockdown litter With the fall in foreign tourism in 2020, many of us in the UK are exploring our own national travel treasures, public spaces, beaches and heritage areas. Unfortunately, it appears that the rubbish we usually export overseas is instead being dumped on our doorstep. The result? A pandemic of lockdown litter. Our behaviour has also been transformed by lockdown. With restaurants off the menu for much of the year, socialising has been moved into open areas with the exploding popularity of eating outdoors - the 'picnic effect'. Many of us will have seen media reports exposing mounds of discarded rubbish - soft drink and water bottles, disposable barbecues, food wrappers polluting our shores and countryside. Sadly, with bins overflowing, litter is surging. Coronavirus restrictions have also impacted the collection and sorting of recyclables in many countries. According to a report on plastic recycling, we're currently at a crossroads - will we regress, or resurge? At the present time, the plastic recycling industry could go in either direction. How to fight lockdown litter: What can I do? How can we protect our beloved public spaces, oceans and beaches from plastic? According to environmental psychologist Lee Chambers, the prevalence of litter is a result of an 'overarching culture of disposability'. Individuals, therefore, have a role to play in fighting the litter pandemic by cutting down on single-use disposables. Here are four simple ways we can still enjoy everything our treasured landscapes have to offer, whilst reducing lockdown litter: Say 'see ya, single-use plastic' - Did you know that the most littered item is the small plastic bottle for non-alcoholic drinks? It accounts for around 25% of all our litter! So, start with eliminating single-use water and fizzy drink bottles; one helpful thing to remember is that bottled water companies don't create water, they create plastic. A simple change: invest in a portable reusable water bottle for when you're travelling out and about. A fantastic five - this one's perfect for the little ones. It's a great way of involving them in fighting lockdown litter whilst teaching them the importance of global citizenship. When you make a visit to a tourist spot, pack a litter bag. As part of your mission, pick up five pieces of litter that you see. You could even make a fun arrangement with your children - 20 pence for each piece of litter collected, perhaps? Who can collect the most? Explore local hidden gems - instead of guzzling fuel on a miles-long journey to a busy, bustling beach, why not seek out those lesser-known local attractions? With fewer people congregating on the same site, bins aren't full or overflowing. Pick up after yourselves - it needn't really be said, but it's classic, age-old advice for a reason - and it'll really make a difference. The aim: to leave no trace. If no one left unwanted items behind, there wouldn't be any litter! On your travels? Say 'see ya, single-use plastic'! 75% of litter is the result of drinks consumption in the UK - so look here as a matter of priority for reducing single-use plastic pollution. The stylish Doulton® TASTE bottle allows you to have great tasting, healthy filtered water wherever your holidays and trips take you - giving you the undeniable convenience of bottled water whilst eliminating single-use plastic. Do your part, whilst looking the part. What are your top tips for keeping lockdown litter to a minimum? Let us know on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter! Check out our refillable Water Bottles now!
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Swap The Pop - Is Our Obsession with...
Plastic Free July - it's time to Swap the Pop Single use plastic remains a hot topic - we've all seen controversial and saddening images of littered beaches and trapped sea life, struggling to exist alongside the tide of plastic used and discarded by humans. Much of this discussion has (rightly) centred on reducing the amount of single-use water bottles - because not only is water the best way to stay hydrated - it's natural and essential for all-round wellbeing, it is readily available, rendering single-use bottles unnecessary and avoidable. Check out our refillable Water Bottles now! However, this Plastic Free July, we're looking at another major polluter, both of our bodies and our seas - and that's carbonated soft drinks. It turns out that our sugar cravings are acting as a major issue for our health and the environment and swapping out your favourite fizzy drink can have a huge impact and a lot of benefits. What are the effects of carbonated drinks? Fizzy drinks and our health Let's take a look first at the health implications of our nation's fixation with fizzy drinks. Predominantly, we need to start by acknowledging that there are practically zero benefits for your body when consuming them and Sustain says that Brits currently consume over two litres of soft drinks per week - that works out at 63g of sugar per day, more than double the daily recommended sugar intake of 30g. Based on the fact that most of these drinks are sugar or sweetener based, they do not boost or support your health in any way, in fact, quite the opposite. Studies have shown the potential for a wide variety of negative side effects of excessive consumption, such as: Potential increase in visceral fat around major organs Obesity Dental health issues Cardiovascular problems Increased risk of diabetes Fizzy drinks and the environment This isn't just a health concern - our fixation with fizz means we are also using and therefore, dumping, much more single-use plastic and we have to consider the carbon footprint of soft drinks. A report has shown the combined plastic pollution produced by giants Coca-Cola, Unilever, PepsiCo and Nestle, in six developing countries stands at more than half a million tonnes per year, which means it could cover 83 football pitches a day. This puts into perspective how great an impact ditching soft drinks and swapping to a refillable bottle, could have. If you look at the global picture and consider those reluctant to recycle, those unable due to lack of, or poor provision, it's clear how quickly our own contributions to the plastic problem can mount up. As a developed country, with access to clean and safe water, we should be looking to maximise this position by making a switch. Single-use swaps to benefit everyone Water is the answer, plain and simple. We can start to tackle the plastic problem and boost our health and wellbeing right away, by simply 'Swapping the Pop' this Plastic Free July. Water is essential for our life and it plays several key roles, including: Helping to transport nutrients within the body Regulating body temperature Remove waste products from the body Being appropriately hydrated can positively impact mental performance and concentration As well as feeling better for drinking less sugar, the reduction in our plastic use is a welcome boost to global efforts to reduce plastic pollution. A million plastic bottles are bought every minute, so a simple swap to a refillable receptacle is a quick way to do your part. Filtered not fizzy Better still, filtered water is the best of the best! Filtering your water not only ensures maximum great taste, but it is an extra level of protection against any remaining irritants or contaminants that can remain even after water treatment. Our ceramic filters remove up to 99.99% of common contaminants, so you can enjoy the very best in clean, tasty drinking water. With us, you can take your optimum hydration experience wherever you go, thanks to our stylish TASTE bottle and range of filter systems for the home. Go Plastic Free this July and explore our range of high-quality portable water filters. Check out our refillable Water Bottles now!
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5 Blockbuster Movies That Would be Ruined by...
We're taking the time this Plastic Free July to think about making˜ One Lasting Change' - encouraging everyone to swap single-use plastics such as straws and bottles for more sustainable alternatives (like our TASTE bottle!). From our own corners of the world, it can be hard to imagine the scale of the plastic tide, so we thought we'd speak in the universal language of art - more specifically, movies. So, to help paint a clearer picture, we've rounded up five blockbuster movies that would be almost unrecognisable if plastic pollution had gotten in the way. Check out our refillable Water Bottles now! 1) Jaws There's no mistaking that music, the tension that builds with it, or that poster of all those sharp teeth. But, what if Amity Island had been lapped by waves of plastic bottles, straws and netting? Well, it would have gone one of two ways - the people would have avoided the beach altogether, and that would have made for a pretty short movie, or, worse still, the only thing Jaws would have caught is a mouthful of plastic - again, thoroughly underwhelming, and we might even have felt sorry for the shark. 2) Finding Nemo That fateful journey to P.Sherman 42 Wallaby Way, Sydney, would have looked very different if our rainbow fish Nemo and his pals had been contending with litter the whole time. Imagine the jellyfish swapped out for discarded plastic bags, the turtles trapped amidst plastic straws and trash - it's a sad thought and would make Dory's˜ just keep swimming' a little more sombre. 3) Titanic Perhaps reimagining the Titanic movie with a berg of plastic bags and discarded bottles is a bit far-fetched, but if Rose had survived the sinking only to have found herself adrift amongst plastic carrier bags or single-use plastic bottles, she would definitely not have made it back to shore; that is, unless she was able to fashion a raft, but...unlikely! 4) Treasure Island Picture the scene: a young Jim Hawkins finds a treasure map and embarks on an epic adventure to trace down the riches. Now imagine, he finds the island and amidst its plentiful caves is just a mountain of fizzy drinks bottles, carrier bags and other recyclables - not exactly edge of your seat viewing! 5) Waterworld Plastic-waste World doesn't have quite the same ring to it, does it? The ice-caps have melted and people live at sea, endlessly in search of a fabled˜Dryland'. We're not sure Dryland would have been the utopia they were searching for if all it was was a mounting heap of stinking waste from the old world! These 'changed-stories' are just a bit of fun, but the threat posed by plastic pollution to our environment and sea life is very real. We can all play our part by making 'One Lasting Change' this Plastic Free July. Why not swap the Pop - ditch sugary drinks and opt for a refillable water bottle instead? You can feel healthier, more alert, and all the while, you'll be boosting your body and the environment. Or, if you're a water fan already but you just can't ditch the bottled stuff because you're in search of a superior taste, then it might be time to consider our stylish TASTE bottle or our range of filter systems for the home. Check out our refillable Water Bottles now!
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Join Us In Saying ˜ Goodbye To Single-Use'...
We're all aware of how plastic pollution is endangering both our environment and our sea life. With this in mind, we're raising our voices and our hopes this Plastic Free July, that you'll join us in making ˜ one lasting change' to turn the plastic tide. You might be thinking,˜How can I do my part?' - well, it's easier than you think. Saying goodbye to single-use plastic is one of the most vital ways we can all make a difference. We're sharing lots of information and insights on how you can get involved (and still enjoy your great-tasting water fix thanks to our TASTE bottles and in-home water filtration systems!) Over on our blog, we're also looking at other ways to start swapping landfill for refill, such as ditching fizzy drinks as a super-quick way to boost both your own health and the health of the natural world. We'll walk you through all the upsides of what happens when you 'Swap the Pop' and switch to tasty, fresh and filtered water, as well as several other interesting blogs to get you in the mood for a plastic-free July! So, join us and make one lasting change this July. Check out our water solutions now!
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Children's Art Week Competition: Win A filtadapt® Countertop...
Grab the pencils, crayons and paints, as we're launching our Children's Art Week competition! We're giving children the chance to create their very own design of a Doulton filtadapt® Countertop water filter Kids, your mission: design an eye-catching, water-themed wrap for Doulton's filtadapt® system a popular choice of water filter for the kitchen. If you're the winner, we'll make a real version of the wrap you designed. To get the kids started, simply grab a piece of A4 paper and set them to work on creating their very own masterpieces. Design your own wrap for Doulton's filtadapt® tap for Children's Art Week. Of course, it's free to enter. Once you've submitted your design, you'll be in with a chance to win a fantastic prize... The winning design will receive a filtadapt® system and a standard plain sleeve, as well as the wrapped version. The prize draw opens for entries on Monday, 8 June at 12:00 BST (midday in the UK). Entries close on Sunday, 21 June, at 23:59 BST, so you'll have around two weeks to prepare your work of art! Once the design is ready, scan it and send it over to: competitions@doulton.com You can also show off your design on social media, using the hashtag #ChildrensArtWeek and tagging us (@DoultonWater). We can't wait to see some of the exciting, water-related designs that you all come up with. The lucky winner will be chosen at random by Friday 26 June; we'll get in touch by 3 August if that's you. One last thing” make sure to check out the terms and conditions for the competition over on our website Happy designing! Check out our water solutions now!
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Hydration & Physical Performance: What's The Link?
Water is essential for our everyday health and wellbeing - but it's even more important during exercise. In addition to ensuring you are making suitable food choices and following an appropriate training programme, staying hydrated is important for optimising sports performance. In this blog post, we'll examine ways to enhance your athletic performance with good hydration. One of the best sports drinks for hydration is simple, plain water and lots of it! Check out our water solutions now! Hydration and Exercise Why is it important to drink water during exercise? During exercise, the body maintains its optimal body temperature by removing heat through sweat. The amount of sweat that we produce increases with exercise intensity, as well as in environments with high temperatures and humidity. Just a small loss of fluid through sweat, equal to just 2% of body weight, can result in a decrease in physical performance. As well as impairing performance, dehydration during exercise can place stress on the cardiovascular system and increase the risk of illness and injury. Mild levels of dehydration during exercise can also affect mental performance, resulting in decreased motivation. The good news is that rehydration can reverse these effects. Therefore, drinking water is necessary to replace the fluids that have been lost through sweat during exercise. How to Stay Hydrated During Exercise We should aim to be in a well-hydrated state before starting any physical activity, so seek to drink appropriate levels of water as part of your normal routine. You can read more about how much water you should be drinking here. You can estimate your sweat losses during exercise by weighing yourself before and after training; each kilogram of body weight lost during exercise represents a fluid loss of approximately one litre. This can help you to estimate how much fluid you need to consume during exercise. We should aim to lose no more than 2% of our body weight through sweat during exercise, for the reasons outlined above. After Exercise It may not always be possible to take on water at the same rate that it is lost through sweat. Therefore, it is important to continue drinking after you've finished exercising. Pay attention to your thirst levels and toilet habits to indicate your hydration status. If you notice that you are going to the toilet less often than normal and/or passing small amounts of urine that are any darker than pale yellow, you are dehydrated and need to drink some water as soon as possible. What Should I Drink? For low to moderate-intensity exercise that lasts less than an hour, water is an effective choice. For higher intensity sessions that last longer than an hour, sports drinks that contain electrolytes are ideal. This is because we also lose crucial electrolytes, such as sodium, through sweating. Ensuring these are replaced will help to prevent any negative effects on health or performance. You can make your own electrolyte drink at home by combining 800ml of filtered tap water with a pinch of salt and 200ml fruit squash. For the best electrolyte drink, you'll want to ensure that your fruit squash is NOT sugar-free. You can also buy ready-made isotonic sports drinks such as Lucozade water. Maintain good hydration levels during exercise. Use filtered water for great-tasting, healthy water with up to 99.99% of some common contaminants removed whilst the naturally occurring minerals are retained. Explore our range of high-quality portable water filters and discover the Doulton difference today. Check out our water solutions now!
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Effects Of Dehydration On The Body: An Evidence-Based...
Water is essential for life but drinking too much or too little water can be harmful to health. If untreated, dehydration can get worse and can cause serious health problems. This blog post provides an evidence-based overview of the effects of dehydration on different organs and systems within the human body. Check out our water solutions now! The Brain Mild dehydration can negatively affect cognitive function, reducing concentration, alertness, and short-term memory. It can also result in significant changes to our mood, with increased feelings of fatigue, confusion, and anger. Studies have shown that rehydrating can quickly reverse some of these negative effects, resulting in increased alertness. Older adults are particularly susceptible to the cognitive effects of dehydration - it's a major risk factor for delirium (which is common in older people with dementia). Dehydration has also been linked with headaches, with some evidence indicating that insufficient water intake can trigger and prolong migraines. The good news is that rehydration may help to relieve dehydration-induced headaches in as little as 30 minutes. The Kidneys Our kidneys are responsible for regulating fluid balance and blood pressure. They also filter out and remove waste products from our bodies in our urine. The kidneys require a steady supply of water to ensuring that our natural, in-built filtration system is working optimally. During dehydration, the kidneys adapt by producing concentrated urine (i.e. darker in colour). However, this puts a greater strain on the organ, so remaining well hydrated helps to protect the kidneys. Dehydration may also increase our risk of developing urinary tract infections (UTIs). In people at high risk from UTIs, a rigorous and structured approach to hydration has been shown to result in a large reduction of cases. The Skin Water is important for maintaining healthy skin - in fact, water contributes 30% of our skin mass. People who have a consistently low water intake may be able to improve their skin thickness, density, and hydration by increasing their water intake and remaining well-hydrated. However, there is no evidence available to suggest that dehydration is directly related to the onset of skin conditions such as hives and eczema. The Heart Our fluid intake influences our blood volume. Therefore, the loss of body water, for example through sweat during exercise, can result in a decrease in blood volume. This can result in increased heart rate, reduced blood pressure, and occasionally fainting. Prolonged low water intake is also associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease. These effects can be prevented or reversed by ensuring sufficient hydration. Always protect your health by staying well hydrated. Discover the daily recommended water intake. Doulton® Water Filters manufacturers a range of high-quality installed and portable water filters. Discover which water filter is best for you to enjoy the taste of Doulton filtered water. Check out our water solutions now!
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Symptoms Of Dehydration In The Elderly & How...
Adequate hydration is essential to maintaining good health. Most adults are able to monitor and respond to their hydration needs. However, this becomes more difficult as we get older, meaning elderly people are more susceptible to becoming dehydrated. In this blog post, we'll look at the symptoms of dehydration in the elderly and ways to help older people to meet their hydration needs. Check out our water solutions now! Why are older people at risk of dehydration? Water makes up a large proportion of our bodies. You can read more about hydration needs in different age groups here. Up to 20% of older adults are dehydrated, especially those in long-term care establishments. As we get older, our ability to sense thirst decreases. Poor mobility, cognitive decline, and physical ailments (including problems with swallowing) are also potential barriers for staying hydrated. Certain patient groups are at even greater risk of dehydration. For example, people with dementia or Alzheimer's Disease may be disorientated or forgetful, which could make it more difficult to recognise and respond to thirst. Certain medications such as diuretics and laxatives can also result in an increased risk of dehydration due to fluid losses. Research has found that some older people may consciously limit their water intake due to fear of incontinence or to avoid relying on others for help with going to the toilet. Consequences of dehydration in older people Dehydration is associated with poor health outcomes at all ages, but the effects can be more pronounced in elderly people. Dehydration in older adults has been associated with pressure sores, urinary tract infections, increased risk of falls, and unplanned hospital admissions. Even mild dehydration can affect cognitive ability, resulting in confusion and delirium. If dehydration is not addressed quickly, it can result in a rapid decline in an older person's health, which could result in increased disability, loss of independence and even death. How to encourage older people to stay hydrated Relatives, friends, carers and healthcare professionals can help to encourage older people to stay hydrated. Here are some suggestions: Provide a range of drinks that they enjoy make water more palatable using a ceramic water filter. You could also mix water with other beverages such as fruit squash, fruit juice or cordials. Offer hydrating foods such as soups, stews, smoothies, lollies, yogurts, ice cream, fruits, and jellies. Ensure they always have a drink during mealtimes. Offer regular drinks between meals too such as water, milkshakes, tea or coffee. Leave a jug or refillable bottle of water in an easily visible and accessible place. Encourage older people to incorporate hydration into their social activities - why not invite an older person over for a cup of tea or suggest that they attend a local lunch club with friends. Prompt them to drink little and often throughout the day - if an older person has memory issues, you could pin a note to remind them to drink in a visible place in their kitchen. Check out our water solutions now!
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How Much Water Should We Be Drinking?
Drinking enough water to stay well hydrated is a key aspect of maintaining good health. However, there is a lot of conflicting information about how much water we actually need. In this blog post, we will explore what the recommended daily water intake is, how to ensure you're consuming the right amount of fluids and how to meet these daily hydration requirements. Check out our water solutions now! What is water used for? Water is essential for life. Water makes up around 60% of our bodies and has many significant functions, including: Removing waste products from the body Transporting nutrients in the blood Helping regulate body temperature Therefore, maintaining an adequate level of hydration is crucial for keeping us healthy. Drinking enough water, i.e. the recommended daily amount of water is also important for helping to maintain a healthy weight. We constantly lose body water through urine and sweat, so it is essential to replace this lost fluid by drinking enough water. Know how much you need Many different factors have an impact on how much water we need. An individual's age will affect their water requirements. As a rule of thumb, adults between the ages of 18 and 60 require 35ml of water per kg of body weight; adults over 60 require slightly less - 30ml per kg. Children also have specific hydration requirements. Other factors include: Gender - males have higher body water content than females, meaning they generally require more water. Exercise levels - people who undertake a high level of physical activity are likely to lose more water through sweat, and therefore require a higher intake. Environment - living in a warmer climate increases the water requirement. Air-conditioning and central heating can also increase an individual's water needs as they speed up the evaporation of sweat from the skin. Health status may also impact water requirements. If an individual is losing a lot of fluid due to a health condition, or symptoms like sickness and diarrhoea, they may require more water. In these situations, it is best to consult with a doctor for advice. How to assess if you're drinking enough water The simplest measure of hydration that we have is thirst - if you feel thirsty, this is a good indicator that you need to drink more water. Another reliable indicator is urine colour. Ideally, urine should be a pale yellow straw colour as this indicates a good level of hydration. Anything darker suggests that you need to drink more water as soon as possible. Other symptoms of dehydration include: Feeling dizzy, lightheaded, or tired A dry mouth, lips, and eyes Urinating fewer than 4 times a day There is such a thing as too much While drinking enough water is vital for good health, drinking too much can also have adverse health consequences. We drink too much water; this can lead to an electrolyte imbalance called hyponatremia. This is when the salt levels within the body become too low and have potentially fatal consequences. You can work out whether the amount of water you're drinking is right for you by paying attention to how you feel, your thirst levels, and urine colour. Stay hydrated and keep track of how much water you're drinking by carrying a water filter bottle. Doulton® Water Filters make a range of high-quality static and portable water filters. Discover which water filter is best for you to enjoy the taste of Doulton filtered water. Check out our water solutions now!
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