Plastics are made from oil which is a fossil fuel that will one day run out. Plastic packaging uses only a very small amount - about 4% of all crude oil produced. Plastic bottles use less than one sixth of this. Only a small amount of plastic is used to make each bottle. Bottles are extremely lightweight, which helps save fuel – up to 40% less fuel is used to transport drinks in plastic bottles compared to glass bottles. We cannot carry liquids without some kind of container. Plastic bottles are ideal because they are strong, safe, do not break and are excellent at keeping the fizz in fizzy drinks. Plastic packaging is great for keeping food fresh, allowing customers to see products before they buy them and helps to cut transport costs as plastics are very lightweight. Much of our food is wrapped in plastic film, packaged in plastic boxes or sold in plastic bags. Then we carry our shopping home from the supermarket in plastic bags. We have lots of waste that is made from plastic and we need to manage it as best we can. The rest of this site will help you to learn more about how we can be more responsible with our plastics.