The Last Straw

It’s the word on everybody’s lips: plastic. It’s choking our waterways and dividing the nation. But what would life look like without it entirely? Kathryn Madden stages a plastic protest to find out

Looking back, it was the moment that broke me. A pair of knickers. Well, not really “knickers” for they were not cheeky, frilly or French. These were thick, black and buttock-covering, less stretchy than Spanx but not quite as big as a granny pant. I was like a modern-day Bridget Jones – the eco-warrior version. But maybe it’s too early to divulge on my undergarments?

Flashback to where it all began on a perfect winter’s Saturday one month earlier. The air is crisp, but the sun is bright and I’m strolling home from boot camp and brunch via my local grocery store. Suddenly I realise that the man walking towards me isn’t talking to his dog; he’s talking to me.

“Plastic kills,” he growls. It takes me a second to process his words. Then I look down at my translucent blue shopping bag.

I’ve just been plastic-shamed.

My first reaction is anger: how dare this stranger accost me in the street! And aren’t golden retriever owners supposed to be nice?! My second is defence: I usually take my own hessian bags to the supermarket, but this was a spontaneous trip. The third is, well, shame.

I like to think I’m pretty woke on the topic of plastic pollution and its earth-shattering impact. Earlier this year a whale died after swallowing 80 plastic bags. Australians discard nearly 10 billion pieces of single-use plastic a year – the majority of which are dumped into landfill and take centuries to break down, leaching toxic chemicals along the way. If we continue at this rate, our oceans will house more plastic than fish by 2050.