Topics: Plastic Free July is here, but our plastic addiction runs deep

We hear research is being done to determine the health effects on humans of swallowing plastic.

That's great, but we can't imagine any scenario in which we'd willingly swallow plastic. It's one of those common sense things, isn't it? Clean food and water in the gut - good. Plastic in the gut - bad.

Which brings us to Plastic Free July - a global campaign aimed at encouraging people to use less plastic.

Rebecca Prince-Ruiz, founder of the campaign, said: "Every person has the power to influence their environment".

That's true, they do. But it does seem like our lives are buried in plastic. Almost everything we buy is wrapped or encased in it. We're addicted to the stuff. The plastic pushers have got us in their tractor beam and they won't let go easily.

Widely-used products in entrenched systems can be difficult to budge. Coles and Woolies had to be dragged kicking and screaming into banning plastic bags. Then the public had a massive whinge about it because they had to pay 15 cents for a reusable bag. It's going to take a herculean effort to sustain major change.

Since 2000, the world has produced as much plastic as all the preceding years combined, a third of which leaks into nature, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature [WWF]. More than 270 wildlife species were being harmed by entanglement and more than 240 species have been found to ingest plastic.

And then there's the human species. The first thing that comes to mind is a recent story in the Newcastle Herald in which it was estimated that people, on average across the world, could be ingesting the equivalent of a credit card in plastic every week.

The story came from a University of Newcastle analysis, commissioned by WWF. It examined more than 50 studies from around the world of people ingesting plastic. The main source of plastic ingestion was said to be bottled and tap water.

University of Newcastle senior research fellow Dr Thava Palanisami co-led the project. While speaking about his research into microplastics in water, Dr Palanisami previously told us that: "About 78 per cent of chemicals associated with microplastics are priority toxic chemicals - some of them are carcinogenic."

Not only that, but plastic itself is a contaminant that has "the potential to attract other contaminants". This means microplastics can attract other contaminants like PFOS and PFOA, pesticides, flame retardants, bacteria and heavy metals.

What we're talking about here is a cocktail of contaminants. The tiny plastic particles, when ingested, could be acting like "a poison pill".

So yeah, count us in for Plastic Free July. The campaign recommends reusable water bottles and coffee cups, plastic-free alternatives when buying fruit and vegetables, reusable shopping bags and rejection of plastic straws.

Instead of cling wrap, store food in reusable containers. Or cover food with upside down plates or bowls. Or try a reusable cloth cover or wax wrap. When we put food in the microwave, we use an upside down plate or bowl. We started doing this about a decade ago when we read that chemicals from cling wrap can leach into food.

As for wrapping sandwiches, the campaign suggests using wax wraps and containers. Instead of using zip-lock bags, try reusable cloth bags.

The campaign also recommended against using plastic bin liners. Instead, it suggested lining the bin with a few sheets of newspaper, using "certified compostable bin-liner bags" or using the bin without a liner and "simply washing it out as needed".

Other than using a bin without a liner, we're happy to give Plastic Free July a crack.

Neil from Stockton tells us the new McDonald's advertisement contains the Choirboys song Run to Paradise.

"Do you know what the song's about? It's about heroin addiction. I thought it was a strange tune for them to be having as their theme song. They might not have done their homework," he said.

Mind you, Choirboys frontman Mark Gable said the song was "not specifically about heroin".

"It's more about misspent youth, the waste I saw in the '70s on the northern beaches of Sydney. It's more about being on the dole, surfing instead of working, smoking dope and drinking," he said in 2017.

Now it's about people eating McDonald's.

Imagine looking up at the night sky in wonder, contemplating the heavens and the universe beyond ... from the top of a shopping mall.

Australian Geographic will hold a "stargazing night" with telescopes on the Westfield Kotara rooftop from 5pm to 8pm on Thursday. The free event marks the forthcoming 50^th anniversary of Neil Armstrong setting foot on the moon.