It shows a turtle with a plastic straw wedged in its nostril in excruciating pain as fishermen grapple to remove it with pliers. It’s a scene that would make anyone think twice about using plastic straws.
The issue of single-use plastic has grown steadily in the public consciousness, brought to the fore once again by Blue Planet II. Finally it now seems that companies and officials are listening too. The PM has launched a 25-year plan to improve the UK’s environmental record while McDonald’s, Waitrose and Iceland have all committed to tackling plastic waste.
The travel industry is also listening. Royal Caribbean International’s president Michael Bayley told me parent company Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd (RCCL) had formed a team to look at eliminating single-use plastic on ships across its fleet. Days later, P&O and Cunard announced a similar move.
In the world of aviation, Ryanair was in the headlines for all the right reasons after announcing an aim to remove all non-recyclable plastic from its operations over the next five years. Meanwhile, London City airport claimed this week to be the first UK airport to ditch plastic straws. Marriott Hotels was also praised after stating that it would end the use of plastic straws in its UK hotels.
Such steps may be small (and overdue), but they are significant. Plastic pollution cannot be stopped overnight, but the plans announced by just these travel companies could have a huge impact. RCCL has already reduced the use of plastic straws on its ships – they are used for an average of 20 minutes, but take up to 500 years to break down.
The UK itself is reported to be the biggest user of plastic straws in Europe, with some 8.5 billion discarded annually. Just imagine the impact the UK travel industry could have if every airline, hotel and cruise line vowed to ditch them.
