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Take-out coffee and bottled water symbolise both the luxury and the waste of the early 21st century. They represent the throwaway world, the always-on culture, the low-pay, low-skill jobs. They reflect our catastrophic disregard of the consequences of our choices\u00a0for the world around us.<\/p>\n
Recycling plastics can be profitable ,\u00a0 but it is also capital intensive and risky because if the price of raw materials involved in making new plastics falls, the recycled alternative becomes uncompetitive \u2013 so when the oil price collapsed in 2016, councils had to bear more of the cost of recycling. Deposits on plastic drinks bottles and a levy on takeaway cups are a start. They tackle the problem at the sharp end, and make us more aware of the costs of our habits.<\/p>\n
But it can\u2019t all be down to consumers. There should be more effort to educate about recycling and the risk of contamination, more on-street bins for the most valuable, food-quality, plastics.<\/p>\n
Dropping a bottle on the street or in a picnic area, putting it in the rubbish rather than in the recycling, need to acquire the same kind of social stigma as smoking in front of children. But the fight should start before recycling, and before re-use. It should begin with the producer: use less plastic packaging.