MP encouraging constituents to make it a green New Year
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Gordon MP Richard Thomson is urging constituents to make it a green New Year by making small changes to their usual habits.
The MP has highlighted four actions where everyone can do things differently and help reduce the level of waste in 2022.
Mr Thomson said: “People want to help tackle the climate crisis and I know that we all sometimes question how much of an impact our individual contributions can have, but the difference we can all make this New Year should not be underestimated – small changes really will make a big difference.
“Four small changes we can all make if we’re not already doing so are shopping local as far as possible; ditching disposables; buying a reusable water bottle instead of bottled water; and using a reusable face mask instead of a disposable where possible.
“We can make it a green New Year at home by pledging to ditch our use of single-use disposable items: plastic straws, styrofoam and plastic containers, coffee cups, coffee pods, disposable snack bags, and so on.
“By shopping local, not only do we support local businesses at a vital time, we’ll also lessen the environmental impact of our purchases through reduced travel.
“We can be more ‘Water Smart’ - buy a reusable water bottle in place of bottled water. Other ways to be smart about our water usage include collecting rain water, and simply minimising water usage while brushing teeth and taking showers, for example.
“Finally, I was horrified to find recently that if everyone in Scotland used one single-use face mask every day for a month, that would create 875 tonnes of non-recyclable plastic waste to landfill.
"Where possible, we should choose to use reusables, be safe and sustainable by investing in good quality, reusable masks and making them part of our daily routine.
"Not only will we be protecting ourselves and our community, we’ll also be helping the planet.”
