It's durable, flexible and keeps our food fresh; for a long time, plastic seemed like the perfect product. This was until we realised that we can never actually get rid of it. Which means that, unless it's been burned, every piece of plastic ever made still exists somewhere. Much of which has ended up in our oceans to devastating effect.

As if this wasn't bad enough, fish and other marine wildlife ingest the plastic in our oceans. Last year, a Plymouth University study reported that one third of UK-caught fish contained plastic meaning that, ultimately, the plastic we throw in our bins comes back into our own food chain.

Despite all of this, it's virtually impossible to live a plastic-free life - as the vast majority of our foods continue to be wrapped in layers and layers of the stuff. At the rate we're going, another eight million tonnes of plastic are being added to our ocean every year. What's more, a report released in 2016 suggests that, by 2050, there will be more plastic than fish in the sea. Such awful statistics.

mattpaul Getty Images

Thankfully, a new campaign has been launched by environmental activist organisation A Plastic Planet to persuade supermarkets that it's time to offer customers a plastic-free aisle.

It is hoped that the result will be a cut in the amount of unnecessary packaging surrounding our food and, in turn, a reduction in the amount of plastic that ends up in the sea.

The group argues that, although we have an abundance of choice when it comes to what we eat, we have no choice when it comes to what our food is wrapped in – and that needs to change, fast.

Campaign founder Sian Sutherland said: "We want to buy food that is not wrapped or contaminated with plastic. The situation is very urgent and we have to do something now."

A Plastic Planet

However, instead of pointing fingers and campaigning against them, A Plastic Planet aims to work collaboratively with supermarkets to instigate sustainable change to suit everyone.

The organisation suggests a move away from plastic packaging to biodegradable materials such as starch-based Polymers.

This campaign comes just as A Plastic Ocean - a documentary revealing the severity of the situation - is released.

While all of these efforts might seem like, well, a drop in the ocean – it's worth noting that since the 5p carrier bag was introduced in 2015, the number of plastic bags being used in the UK has dropped by 80%. So, together, we really can make a big difference!

Enough talk, time for action! Here's what you can do to help...

Watch the film

Join the campaign

Eschew plastic packaging where possible:

Use paper mushroom bags for loose vegetables

Drink water from the tap instead of buying plastic bottles

Check your beauty products to make sure none contain microbeads

Recycle and reuse plastic items

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