Dartmouth should challenge itself concerning the use of plastic for shopping/packaging and general usage, this is not just about the local traders but also all the people who live locally and in the surrounding parishes.

I read a letter online written by Val Depledge, dated Friday, October 13, “Will stores cut plastics”.

I was surprised it received no comments online. What a great shame for a great letter.

I have worked in West Africa for over 20 years of and on, where plastic pollution is something I could not possibly describe in detail as it would not be believed by many.

However, what was interesting to hear is that Kenya has banned plastic carrier bags and imposed fines. The fines and punishments are excessive but for an African country to make this start gives one faith that we could clean up our planet.

Why can we not do this in the South Hams, challenge the stores with their packaging, challenge ourselves with what packaging we are going to use?

It takes only a few to start the ball rolling and to gather momentum.

I wonder what the stores would say after you have brought several articles, such as tools packaged to an extent that it takes genius to open safely, and they are opened in the store and packaging handed back for disposal.

Now that would be an interesting scenario and I am sure would cause controversy.

I am of the age where I saw the growth in plastics.

I work in the petroleum industry and I am not sure if I am proud of the fact knowing now some of the bi-products and the resulting pollution to the planet in such a short time.

I wonder how many of our planet’s creatures have been affected by my actions, so I would like to see a change, so my family can follow a legacy of reducing our plastic trash footprint. We are smart, very smart, and there are no limits to what we can do. We need to use this knowledge.

I worked in Equatorial Guinea for two years, a beautiful island with dense jungle.

If you stripped the jungle away, the island would be a trash heap. The locals throw their trash into the undergrowth which grows so quickly and camouflages the problem.

The sea does the same with our plastic trash that continually pours into its mass.

There are alternatives, let’s use them.

Don Bashford

Collaton Farm, Dartmouth