As Remembrance Day approaches and the Poppy’s are everywhere, I will not be wearing one. It is not a protest against veterans; I support the troops who are fighting for and fought for democracy, it is an environmental decision.
I will not wear a plastic poppy, rather I have a reusable pin that I wear every year.

The knowledge of the Ocean Gyres is a decades old phenomenon that just seems to continuously grow. Within the past few years there have been numerous articles and documentaries on the amount of plastic washing up on island shores in the world – sometimes uninhabited islands. It is estimated the the Ocean is littered with over 38 million pieces of plastic.
Plastic is not only in the waterways, it is in the fish and birds that eat it mistaking the pieces as food. This is especially true of smaller plastics that cannot be recycled.

I will honour the minute of silence at 11:11 and I will wear a Poppy Pin, but I will not purchase a plastic poppy that could easily be made of paper. The cadets that are out selling them, could be out for the week following to collect the plastic ones for recycling, there could even be collection bins at stores.

Until a zerowaste alternative is available, I will not purchase an item of plastic to be used for a week and thrown away.