Let's bin plastic bags

Stories like this one from the BBC (see here) shine out among all the dark, depressing stuff going on. Since switching from having our food delivered by Sainsbury's to shopping weekly at our local Co-op superstore, our plastic consumption has plummeted. I used to recycle the bags by placing paper and plastic in them for the binmen, but now the plastic bags have been replaced by a handful of big, re-usable bags, and the paper is tied up with string and the plastic shares the green bin with the aluminium, foil and glass (they're collected on alternate weeks).

It was interesting to read about Rebecca Hosking's own experiences growing up. I grew up in the middle of the countryside on a smallholding that was wildlife-friendly, and it's pretty obvious that it formed my strong opinions now. Even spending a few hours in green spaces lifts my soul and reduces stress - the RSPB and Natural England have both commissioned reports backing this need for green spaces (you can find out more in issue 4 of Countryfile, which goes on sale next January, as I'm researching a piece for it), and yet this government continues to concrete over anything and everything it can.

There's a gulf between the reality of what we face and the bubble we're trying to live in. For the sake of us all, the sooner that bubble is pierced the better.