ABTA's travel talk blog was written for Make Holidays Greener. Find out how to win a Go Pro camera here: http://bit.ly/MakeHolidaysGreener

It is undeniable that plastic is everywhere – cropping up in some form or another, on a daily basis. However, over the past year, the nation has become more aware of the amount of plastic we use and the damage this is having on the environment.

From David Attenborough’s Blue Planet II television series in January 2018 to Sky News Ocean’s plastics campaign, we’ve seen stark images of how plastic is threatening wildlife in the sea and human health.

The UN Environment reported on #WorldEnvironmentDay on 5 June ‘13 million tonnes of plastic waste are dumped into the world’s oceans every year and a further 500 billion disposable plastic bags are used worldwide - yet 50% of the plastic we use is single use.’

This summer, you can take a stand against plastic and take action by pledging ‘say no to plastic’ through our annual Make Holidays Greener campaign. This campaign is asking holidaymakers and travel businesses to take action by finding alternatives to using plastic on holiday. There have been some amazing initiatives by ABTA Members and the wider travel industry to help cut plastic waste and their stories are on our Make Holidays Greener website.

Several ABTA Members and their hotels and resorts are finding alternatives to plastic such as no longer serving plastic cutlery or straws and reducing use of plastic bottles.  It is amazing how a shift in public attitude towards plastic can drive such change.

But there are also steps travelers can to do cut back on the use of plastics.

By taking action and making the pledge to say no to plastic, you could win a waterproof Go Pro camera in our giveaway.

So what can you do to help?

The following tips are five easy actions, which you may already be doing at home and can also try on holiday this summer.

Say no to plastic tips

1. Say no to plastic straws for drinks
2. Avoid using single-use plastic bags
3. Take a reusable water bottle with you on holiday and fill up where safe to do so
4. Stay in a hotel which has a Travelife sustainability certification. Amongst other things, they may have initiatives in place to save plastic or will be running a beach clean which you can get involved with
5. Take a reusable coffee cup with you so that if you buy take away coffee you’ll be ready to save plastic. Eating in local restaurants on holiday can also help you save plastic as you won’t be buying throwaway packaging.

We’re so pleased to have seen so many holidaymakers and ABTA Members who have already made the pledge to say no to plastic. Could you join them?

Clare and Hugh in ABTA’s sustainability team will tell you more about how to take action and how to enter our competition to win a waterproof GoPro camera. Watch below.

Make your pledge by visiting the Make Holidays Greener website and tell the world by sharing on social media with #MHG18. See who else has made a pledge by following #MHG18 on twitter.