Plastic education wall at Cambridge Eco Living festival
... and film looks at how to live without plastic
Environmental solutions firm Veolia UK installed a plastic education wall in Lions Yard this week, in time for the first Cambridge Open Eco Day tomorrow (September 22).
The wall depicts the vast variety of domestic plastics and demonstrates, in an highly visual fashion, how single-use plastics are recycled, while illustrating the average personal consumption figures and how our plastic waste end up on land and as ocean plastic debris. The area will also include a public pledge wall encouraging consumers to take a #GoPlasticFreeDay and beyond challenge.
“Creating greater public awareness and education about domestic single-use plastic disposables, and how it ends up as waste debris is one of our public engagement aims at the Eco Living Festival,” said the festival’s organiser, Shaheera Asante.
The installation is at the Fishers Square entrance to Lion Yard.
Meanwhile a Cambridge resident has participated in a filmed project which invloved living for a month without plastic. Matthew Koch, currently a research student at the University of Plymouth working on antibiotic discovery from deep-sea sponges, participated in a film directed by Bryony Stokes, in which he and partner Marigold attempted to live without plastic for a month. It wasn’t easy!
“I had met Matt and Marigold at various events put on by Rame Peninsula Beach Care, who are all volunteers working to clean beaches in this Cornish area,” said Bryony, who has made related films about plastic use. “They do beach cleans and local wildlife/ awareness talks.
“They were great to film. The moments just flowed- it was filmed as a raw documentary so no extra takes! Marigold was nervous about filming in the supermarket as she was worried they might kick us out but she soon got into the swing of it.”
Banning plastics is increasingly seen as the solution, rather than recycling. Retailers are increasingly taking action: Waitrose is set to remove plastic bags for loose fruit and vegetables and 5p single-use plastic bags from its stores by next spring.
