Recycling is fantastic in that it helps waste be used for another purpose but really cutting down the amount of waste we generate is a better solution to plastic pollution.
A survey found that half of the people questioned believed recycling was the best way to cut the impact of single use plastic on the environment.
Just one quarter said stopping buying these items was the solution.
And that is the problem with the single-use plastic pollution problem - recycling is not the best solution. We need to stop buying single-use plastic.
Plastic water bottles account for a huge amount of plastic waste generated, needlessly. Using a water filter makes top quality drinking water available whenever and wherever you are. Why add to the world's plastic pollution problems when you could just fill up a glass or stainless steel bottle and generate no waste at all?
Can we depend on recycling to cut plastic waste?
How many times have you been out in public and had no choice but to drop recyclable waste in a general waste bin? Or seen empty plastic bottles discarded by the roadside? Everyone knows someone who doesn't believe in recycling. Some people just cannot be bothered.
Then there is the plastic waste that gets blown away as it is collected - or as it is delivered to another country for recycling.
If the plastic was not there in the first place this wouldn't be an issue.
Cutting down on single-use plastic is the single most effective way to cut down on its global environmental impact.
Choosing to reuse rather than recycle makes a big difference. World Environment Day earlier this year nailed the message with "If you can't reuse it, refuse it".
This is the most sustainable way to deal with the problem of pollution - of both single-use plastic and other materials.
Use a water filter instead of buying plastic bottles of water
Starting with using a refillable water bottle is easy. There really is no excuse for buying single-use plastic water bottle when clean drinking water is available on tap.
Using a water filter gives instant access to bottled quality drinking water without generating single-use plastic waste. Doulton water filters will deliver great-tasting, clean water straight from the tap.
Choosing plastic-free drinking water will save you money and help to cut plastic pollution. Making that change that will have the greatest impact on the environmental impact of plastic waste - cut out plastic wherever possible, don't rely on recycling, this is not the best solution taking the long view.
If fewer people buy single-use plastic there will be less to pollute our oceans. Act now, filter and refill.
Discover more about how the benefits of using a Doulton water filter.
