by Milla Magee

The Plastic Apocalypse

A Flood of Waste and No End in Sight
The Plastic Apocalypse

I'm honoured to hold the title of Miss England, but I was actually awarded the title of Miss Ethical Queen first! 

Quite simply, I have been waging war on plastic for some time now, it's been all around me when I surf in the sea, and I see people's discarded rubbish everywhere. It is time for change.

It’s not news that plastic pollution is strangling our planet. But every now and then, we get a stark reminder of how bad things have really gotten. Take the recent storms and floods that hit the UK — we are losing the fight against the floods, streets turned to rivers, homes were washed out, and amidst it all, plastic waste is everywhere. Bottles, bags, wrappers—stuff you’d barely think about while cracking open a drink or unwrapping a meal deal. Yet there it is, floating in floodwaters, showing us just how embedded plastic has become in our lives and our environment.

Let’s be honest, the plastic problem isn’t something new, but it is getting worse. The reason? Convenience. Our modern world runs on plastic. It’s cheap, versatile, and useful. From packaging your food to making your phone case, plastic is everywhere. But what was once hailed as a miracle material has now turned into a nightmare. Sure, we chuck a lot of it in the recycling bin, but what happens after that is a murky business. Not all of it gets recycled. In fact, a lot doesn’t. It ends up in landfills, rivers, and oceans. It’s a ticking time bomb, and the clock’s been ticking for decades.

Plastic is a slow killer. Plastic doesn’t just disappear. That’s part of the problem. The stuff breaks down into smaller pieces called microplastics, and that’s where things get particularly grim. These tiny particles have been found everywhere: in the deepest parts of the ocean, in the soil, in the rain, and even inside our bodies. We’re talking about invisible enemies. Every time you eat seafood, there’s a chance you’re ingesting a few tiny bits of plastic. Yummy, right?

Microplastics don’t just stop there. They get into our water systems, and, thanks to recent floods, we’ve seen that when nature strikes, all that plastic lying around on the streets gets swept into rivers and seas. It’s a vicious cycle, with our plastic waste poisoning the ecosystem we rely on.

A GLOBAL CRISIS!!

While the UK has seen its fair share of plastic-related mess thanks to extreme weather, we’re not alone. Globally, plastic pollution is a crisis. It’s clogging up rivers in India, covering beaches in Southeast Asia, and creating literal islands of trash in the Pacific. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is now three times the size of France — let that sink in. Scientists estimate that by 2050, there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish. That’s more than just a disgusting statistic; it’s an environmental death sentence.

The effects of plastic are far-reaching. Marine animals mistake plastic for food and end up dying. Coral reefs, the lungs of our oceans, are smothered in plastic, disrupting the delicate balance of marine ecosystems. Even on land, animals and birds are getting caught in discarded plastic waste. It’s the environmental apocalypse no one wants to talk about but that we can’t afford to ignore.

BUT CAN WE FIX IT?

So, what’s the solution? The harsh reality is that there’s no quick fix. Sure, you can use your reusable coffee cups, switch to metal straws, and feel good about recycling, but that’s like putting a Band-Aid on a bullet wound. The issue is systemic. It’s deeply embedded in the way industries work and how we consume as a society. Big companies are still churning out plastic products faster than they can be dealt with, and while we’re encouraged to make small, individual changes, the real power lies in legislation.

There are countries making moves to tackle this. The European Union banned single-use plastics like straws and cutlery in 2021, and places like Kenya and Rwanda have introduced strict plastic bag bans. But it’s not enough. We need a global approach. The same companies dumping plastic waste in rivers in developing countries are the same ones selling us our bottles of water and packaging our sandwiches in the UK. The system’s messed up, and we need to overhaul it — fast.

THE REAL COST OF PLASTIC?

Let’s not kid ourselves. The plastic apocalypse is here, and we’re living it. The storms and floods in the UK were just a glimpse of how bad it can get. We’ve created a world where plastic waste is as much a part of our environment as trees, rivers, and oceans. The cost of this isn’t just environmental, either. It’s economic, social, and health-related. We’re literally drowning in our own convenience.

Until we all, as individuals, governments, and corporations, start treating plastic pollution as the crisis it is, there’s no real way out. The world needs less talk and more action — otherwise, we’ll be choking on our own waste long before the ocean does. Our planet was here a long time before us and will protect itself to be here a long time beyond us. And if we can’t sort it out, the next time floods hit, we’ll be dealing with more than just water damage — we’ll be swimming in our own plastic apocalypse.

It’s time to wake up. The plastic crisis isn’t a future problem — it’s happening now. Floods, storms, and the mountains of waste in our oceans and rivers are just the beginning. The clock is ticking, and we’re running out of time to fix this mess.

DON’T DESTROY WHAT WE CAME TO ENJOY

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Milla Magee, Miss England 2024 and Cornwall surfer, is Loaded’s fiery columnist and founder of #GOFARWITHCPR, pushing for CPR in schools. With bold moves and fierce advocacy, she’s sparking real change.