An article written by a young Jura resident, Tabby Fletcher in The Jura Jottings this month highlights the huge problem of plastic pollution.  We appreciated the article and Tabby’s efforts and have replicated it here for you to read, and hope that everyone will sign up to the petitition.  Well done Tabby!

Make Scotland Plastic Free, by Tabby Fletcher (Jura Jottings March edition)

There are some great alternatives for plastic out there nowadays: we can swap out deodorant, dish sponges, cling-film, shower gel, toothbrushes, and shopping bags, and it’s all a huge step in the right direction. 50% of the plastic we use in the UK is single-use and by cutting these items out, it creates a lighter, more sustainable footprint on our natural world.

But our plastic pollution crisis is still a growing problem, even with so many recent advances in technology and climate science. There’s an estimated 200 million pieces of macro plastic littered into Scottish seas every year, only set to rise as our consumption does. We’re an island community – our ocean is our way of life just as much as it’s the bane of it. This is going to impact us and our wildlife more than anyone. The frustrating truth is that any alternatives to plastic products are more expensive and often much harder to find. For the majority of people, food on the table comes before a micro-organism that you’ve never met. Shelling out that extra couple of thousand for an electric car to fix a problem that you can’t see isn’t a viable option – even if some studies do show that they could cost less in the long run.

Governments need to make it easier for people to make better choices. To survive and have a fair, sustainable existence shouldn’t be difficult; single-use items should be a luxury, and re-use the norm. The future of the world’s health shouldn’t be weighed up by your weekly shop budget.

‘Make Scotland Plastic Free’ is a petition that will take thirty seconds or less of your time to sign. It’s a campaign that aims to make Scotland the first country in the world to ban all single-use plastics for good. That’s why I need your signature – the time is now. The problem is here, it’s knocking on your door, washing up on our shore. I’m only sixteen and I’ve seen so much change already in my lifetime, so much more plastic, so many more gales. Now is a pivotal moment in earth’s history because we can decide what sort of future we want to have, and to keep Jura’s oceans and coastlines alive, we need to change the way we’re living. But change has to come on a societal level, not just from likeminded individuals; it has to be bold and it has to be now. Somebody has to take that step for the future we all need.

Change is a wave, and it’s going to take thirty seconds of your time.

Visit www.makescotlandplasticfree.co.uk to sign up. Thank you.
Tabby Fletcher