Five simple tips to cut your ‘plastic footprint’ and help stop microplastics

Microplastics have been found in every lake and river in Britain, posing risks to wildlife and human life that are still poorly understood. But it's still perfectly possible to cut down the amount of plastic and microplastics you introduce into the environment, according to one MP and campaigner.

Rebecca Pow is parliamentary under-secretary of state for nature and a passionate anti-plastic campaigner, who campaigned successfully for the removal of plastic microbeads in wash-off cosmetic products.

Speaking to Yahoo News, she says that in addition to obvious steps such as using your own coffee cup rather than plastic-lidded disposable cups from coffee shops, there are other ways to minimise the amount of plastic released into the environment.

"All plastic when it gets out into the environment eventually breaks down into tiny micro plastics; so anything you can do to reduce the amount of overall plastic you use is helpful as well as re-using and recycling any plastic containers," she says.

Here are five simple tips to cut down your plastic footprint.

Don’t buy clothes containing plastic

Pow says that shoppers should always check clothing labels to see if clothes include plastic.

"A great many textiles include plastic, which people are often surprised to hear. Avoid these if you can and opt for natural materials checking to see if they are as sustainable as possible. Clothes which contain polyester, nylon, acrylic or spandex contain microplastic," she explains.

Wash and reuse plastic bags

Pow says that she uses plastic bags for freezing food and freezing berries from her garden, but washes and reuses them to minimise waste.

She says, "I reuse all mine. I simply wash them and dry them placing them over the utensil drainer by the kitchen sink to dry. You’ll be amazed how many times you can reuse them!"

Use bamboo straws

Restaurants in the UK no longer offer plastic straws, although they are available on request, but some people find paper ones inadequate.

Pow advises that drinkers who don’t like paper ones should turn to bamboo straws instead, saying: "I have found some made of bamboo which are hollow and they are really lovely to use with milkshakes and cocktails. And of course they are washable and reusable."

Shop carefully for cosmetics

Many cosmetics are shipped in layers and layers of plastic packaging and consumers should shop around to avoid them, Pow says.

"This material is simply used for marketing purposes and gets thrown away often to landfill. They will take years and years to break down and even then the microplastics don’t decompose and remain in the environment," she explains.

Use refillable washing up liquid

Refillable household products are a great way to cut your plastic footprint. Pow says: "Refillable eco household products include washing up liquid, washing liquid and hand wash. There are some great local outlets that stock the products and also include shampoo and conditioner, body wash too."