People want to pretend just the things that are convenient to them are an issue. They say government and companies need to take action, then complain about actions taken. It's really wild to see.

This is a list of end-consumer items put together by a government body beholden to fishing and other industries. And it’s not even about pollution levels, it’s specifically about beach pollution. Plastic lids on cartons of heavy cream are “also a problem” if we focus only on reducing plastic waste in the kitchen, but implying it’s even relevant compared to industrial plastic waste is disingenuous

Single use plastic items laying on the beach is what bothers people the most, but this doesn't mean it is the biggest problems. There is much more plastic in the oceans that we do not see.

Hmm. Perhaps the beaches shouldn't be the prioritized focus for developing alternatives to plastic.

If it's on the beach, it can be picked up. Today, tomorrow or eventually.

I think the plastic that can't be as easily be collected ought to be replaced by alternatives first.

Oil companies have known this for decades,

fun fact: BP created the carbon footprint to turn the guilt onto the end consumers, and away from them.

It requires lifting fishermen out of poverty

Bruh. These aren't 1 dude in a boat with a long line. These are billion dollar corporations running fleets. And yes, we need international cooperation to bring them to heel. Like with farmers, however, make no mistake that the people doing this kind of pollution are at all ignorant or unaware of what they are doing.

the average person has very little way to reduce the number of plastic nets in the water

Besides the obvious and 100% viable option of just not eating fish.

Or organise a boycott on eating fish.

You could go the rest of your life without eating another fish and you would be fine.

Car tyres are also significant contributors to terrestial microplastics and particulate matter!

What if dispenser machines had a pay by volume model? You bring your own thing, they fill it, and charge you by how much you use. Would probably need something added to measure flow and set prices, but it's not like a McDonalds built in the 70s is still using exactly the same machines they were back then.

If you saw how much plastic is used to get that paper straw to you (logistics) you would just drink from the cup

Also paper cups are lined with plastic to stop the drink from running through it, metal cans are lined with plastic to prevent a metallic taste

stop eating all animals tbh.

No, that would inconvenience me. I would prefer to virtue signal. /s

Noticed the same thing, how can one be concerned about the plastic straws but not the cups? I almost thought that was the joke.

Cool thing is that here in Copenhagen a lot of privately owned places now also use cardboard lids. As someone who delivers food for a living, I'm also happy about the change because cardboard lids have far more fiction and don't pop off as easily when transporting.

Getting rid of plastic straws, but not cups and lids was such a stupid thing. There are substitutes for cups, but they cost more, so they weren't a good option for greenwashing.

If you're already minimizing seafood intake because of the lead content, you're already minimizing your personal impact of fishing net use. What we need to do is legislate the use of hemp nets. Hemp was the primary net maternal before the oil industry put their weight behind making hemp illegal under the guise of "The War On Drugs!" and made plastic/nylon nets the default.

That would be ideal, but each person has limited time and attention. Advocate for both, but put your efforts into figuring out how to change the thing with the larger impact.