A COUPLE from Tavistock have vowed to go plastic free for one month to try and reduce their carbon footprint.

People around the world are making conscious efforts to reduce their plastic usage but it is quite difficult to go ‘plastic free’.

Mike Hooper and Ceri Busby from Dolvin Road have taken on the ‘plastic-free February’. ‘A few years ago we challenged ourselves to not shop in supermarkets for a month, we basically shopped local and that was easy,’ said Mike. ‘We have now decided to go plastic free for February and that is much more difficult.’

Mike added he first wanted to take on the challenge when he noticed the amount of plastic used by supermarkets:

‘I was standing looking at the fruit and vegetable isle in a Tavistock supermarket and only the carrots were loose without any packaging.

‘The difficult items are shower gel and disinfectant.

There are alternatives to shower gel, we just buy soap but if we want to buy cleaning products without plastic, that is very difficult.

About 85 per cent to 90 per cent of your shopping you can get plastic free but there are certainly things that I just can’t get without plastic.

‘I am trying to see if we can go the whole of February without using plastic and cellophane.’

The campaign has seen many people around the world taking up the challenge — it has been reported that Europe is one of the leading litterers of single use plastics, most of which is non-recyclable and is the largest contributor to ocean waste.

l Watch out for special segments in the Times to see how the couple is handling the challenge.

If you have also taken up the plastic-free February challenge, please get in contact with Lindsay Turpin at [email protected]