Photo above: Plastic waste frequently ends up in seas and on beaches…

Mel Costello gives a poetic commentary on the consequences of our throwaway attitude towards plastic.

What Am I? by Mel Costello

You can throw me, drop me or give me a violent toss,
I will stay there lingering like moss.

I will float and travel to many a great place,
killing many on my journey there’s always a trace.

I’m in the park, a place of beauty,
But am not bothered, killing the wildlife is my duty.

I can be coloured, clear or strong,
Either a molecule round or long.

It can take years for me to disappear,
Or put me in the sea. I will reappear.

It doesn’t take long to put me in a bin.
I can be recycled, reused, but not in a landfill.

They thought my invention was fantastic.
But to our world I am just plastic.

…but can be recycled to make new products as Liverpool’s Plastic Tactics demonstrate by recycling sweet tubs into new materials…..

…. to make coasters and pegs. Credit: Plastic Tactics