Throwaway plastic is the last straw for the Queen

Midlands householders should follow the example of the Queen who has banned plastic water bottles and straws from royal estates.

Green energy expert Ron Fox was commenting after reports that water will now be served from glass bottles in all meetings at Buckingham and Holyrood Palaces and plastic straws will no longer be available in public cafes at all Her Majesty’s homes.

Also staff canteens will use china plates, glasses and recyclable paper cups while takeaway items will be in compostable packaging and goods will be sent between palaces in reusable material.

“The Queen is setting a fine example to everyone and it is such an easy step to step,” said Ron Fox, of Noreus Ltd. “The problem is so severe now with eight million tonnes of plastic entering the oceans every year as highlighted by Sir David Attenborough in his BBC series Blue Planet II.

“The problem is that plastic can cause real problem to marine life and eventually enter our food chain. Just last week scientists reported they had found plastic particles in almost three quarters of fish living in the ocean depths.”

The move was supported by the Church of England which has issued a series of climatic-conscious commandments for worshippers during Lent.

These include ditching disposable cups, encouraging Christians to bring their own mugs to church, using a fountain pen, keeping a set of cutlery in the car, ignoring the hotel mini bar, streaming films, TV shows and music online instead of buying DVDs and CDs and having a toothbrush made of bamboo.

The church also advises those in the pews on Sundays to avoid over-packaged food, buy milk in bottles and loose fruit and vegetables locally and to stop using disposable razors, liquid hand soaps and wet wipes.

They also encourage parishioners to lobby their MP to back the campaign and to put a “no junk mail” sign on their letterbox.

The guide, sent to each of the church’s 42 dioceses, focuses on five areas including food, kitchen and bathroom products, clothing and general homeware and travel items and it wants members to continue with this lifestyle change after Lent finishes at the end of this month.

Already the Queen’s move is attracting nationwide support with the BBC planning to get rid of plastic cups and plastic cutlery by the end of this year. It will also remove plastic containers from its canteens by 2019. Sky has already announced it will ban single-use plastic from its business by 2020.

Meanwhile, restaurants and pub chains including All Bar One, JD Wetherspoon, Costa Coffee, Pizza Express and Wagamama have all said they will phase out plastic straws.

“We must all play our part in stopping this plastic tide and the first move should be to scrap the straw,” said Ron of Noreus Ltd, Keele, Staffordshire. “A plastic straw is used only once for minutes but it leaves a legacy in the environment that can last for many centuries.”

For more help and advice on green energy matters contact Ron on 01782 756995 or go to www.noreus.co.uk