It is obvious there has been a huge growth in rubbish and
waste from past generations. 30- 40
years ago plastic was used much less regularly. Alison and I did some
research around our school library asking teachers what household waste was
like when they were kids. According to Ms. Coroy it was rare to use any type of
plastic. Most things were packaged in Paper bags. The only type of waste was
organic waste. The rubbish was wrapped in newspaper.
The amount of waste is a lot different in these current
times. Australia is the second highest producer of waste per person in the
world at approximately 650 kilograms per person. Australians produce over 18
million tonnes of waste every year. That is the equivalent of three million
garbage trucks full of compacted rubbish.
Yesterday I went grocery shopping with my mum for our weekly
food supply. This is something I have done my whole life and I know most people
my age would agree. But yesterday I looked at what was on the shelves and
thought a lot differently. I began to actually notice how much plastic we use
and it shocked me. Almost everything is packaged.
The rate at which we use plastic is appalling, and we are
ALL contributing. We all have power over what we buy and what we use and it is
our job to start thinking twice when shopping.
