Recent statistics RSPCA has revealed that plastic litter in Kent is a bigger issue than ever. According to the report, animals being entangled or hurt by plastic littering is rising nationwide, and Kent has the fourth highest number of recorded incidents with 23.

Plastic littering is more than just an unpleasant sight. It is estimated that over 100 million animals die each year as a result of ingesting plastic or getting entangled in it.

While recycling more may seem like the simple solution to the issue, recycling rates have been plateauing of recent, with there only being a 5% increase since 2010. That means that work needs to be done to reduce general plastic consumption. But what other options are there?

Support anti-plastic businesses

The 5p plastic bag charge was brought in by shops as part of an initiative to reduce the amount of plastic people use daily, which has led to a 30% reduction in plastic bag littering. However, packaging in supermarkets can still mean you end up taking home large amounts of single-use plastic with your weekly shop.

That’s why Lynda Desmarais opened Unboxed Kent, a shop that is committed to giving no plastic packaging to their customers. Based in Canterbury, the store has products in bulk and encourages customers to bring their own containers which they can fill up in the shop.

“Opening a plastic-free shop was really important to me because I wanted to reduce the amount of plastic my family used and found it wasn’t possible”, said Desmarais.

“I think it’s down to the shops and shop owners to find ways to supply goods without plastic because it’s impossible for consumers if the shops aren’t making it available”.

Contact the council

Kent Wildlife Trust is an environmental organisation whose aim is to protect wildlife across the country. They understand the dangers that can come to animals from plastic littering and are encouraging people to contact their local councillors and MPs about the Environment Act so that changes to plastic regulations can be made.

Zöe Wilkinson, a project officer at Kent Wildlife Trust, said: “Plastic doesn’t biodegrade, it will persist forever in some form.

“As you can imagine if you were trying to live your life with a plastic bag around your neck, things wouldn’t be very good for you”.

“We need to be putting pressure on the government to legislate plastic alternatives and the reduction of plastic”.

Cut down on your plastic consumption

In the UK, 13 billion plastic bottles are used every year and plastic bottles make up a third of all plastic pollution in the sea. Last year, Wilkinson took on the task of going ‘plastic bottle-free’. She was inspired to do this to better measure her plastic consumption and see how realistically cutting that down would be.

“I ended up using 15 plastic bottles, only 6 of those being bought new”, said the Kent Wildlife Trust worker.

“It really opened my eyes how prevalent single-use plastic is.

“If you’re thinking about reducing your plastic consumption, I would highly recommend starting with plastic bottles”.