I’m writing in complete support of Don Bashford’s letter Challenge to cut use of plastics, last week.

We can’t any longer claim that we don’t know the consequences of our disposable plastic culture.

For years, I have been unable to look at small plastic items like pen lids or cigarette lighters or children’s toys without thinking “contents of an albatross’s stomach”.

Now the knowledge of there being a vast floating rubbish tip the size of Wales in the Pacific, filled with items from the dawn of the Plastic Age – because plastic does not biodegrade – has become more mainstream.

Fans of David Attenbor­ough’s Blue Planet II will also be aware of how the ocean’s currents transports debris across and around the globe and the fatal toxic consequences on marine life from petrochemicals leaching from ocean plastics.

At the autumn Budget, Chancellor Philip Hammond announced that the Govern­ment was looking into ways to discourage the use of disposable plastics through taxation.

We can’t claim that we don’t know any longer. Let’s be the change we want to see. Let’s remember to get those bags for life out of the car when we go shopping.

Let’s carry a lightweight bag in our handbag ladies, and gentlemen too if you like to have a handbag – it saves getting caught out unexpectedly without a bag. Let’s have a reusable coffee cup in the car to take into coffee/drink shops.

Since I’ve learnt that teabags have plastic in them and therefore don’t biodegrade, I’ve changed to loose-leaf tea.

There’s so much we could do with our own personal practices.

By all means tell me about other handy hints because I know that there’s always more that I could do.

If we can’t take the lead in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty then what chance does the rest of the country and globe have?

Surely we do care about our beautiful and interconnected environment seeing that we have chosen to live here?

Alison Denham

Vincents Road, Kingsbridge