Chewing gum was made without plastic up until the 1960s, at which point it became more economical to use synthetic ingredients. All clothing made from man-made fibres, such as microfibre fleeces, polyester, acrylic, and nylons are made from plastic.  Every time these items of clothing are washed, microplastics are released into waterways, as the fabric sheds in the wash. Instead, we could wash them in some of the new products available, such as Guppyfriend, which acts as a microplastic filter, until our clothes reach the end of their lifespan.

Is there anything better than a nice cup of tea? Yes – a plastic-free cuppa. Not just the plastic wrapper on the box, or the plastic pouch some teas come in, but plastic actually in the teabag itself. Plastic (polypropylene) is added to paper teabags to help heat seal them during manufacture so they don’t come open in the box, or in a cup.  It means that these tea bags aren’t 100% biodegradable or compostable. Wendy, from the Moral Fibres blog (moralfibres.co.uk/is-there-plastic-in-your-tea/), has listed which brands do and don’t contain plastic. Switching to loose leaf tea would seem to be the only truly plastic-free answer at the moment. [My dear, departed mother could have told me that, and how much tastier it is too – Ed].