Melinda J. Irvine

Since moving to Iloilo City, every day Jerry likes to buy a little mango drink for about 25c. He trots down the road with his wallet and 10 pesos and returns with a disposable plastic cup filled with condensed milk, ice and mango powder.

He loves it.

But for the last few days I’ve been trying to convince him to take his own cup. Every time I ask him though he looks at me in alarm and tells me very earnestly ‘But Tita Mel, we don’t do that here‘.

Like most kids (and adults too) we don’t like standing out or doing anything that might cause people to ask questions about us. But I was delighted today when he set off to buy his drink carrying a green plastic tumbler from our kitchen cabinet.

And what caused this change of heart?

Simply calling him into my office before he set out and googling ‘plastic pollution‘. I didn’t have to say anything or explain stuff. He took one look at that poor whale (top right) and went to the cabinet and grabbed a green cup.

If Jerry can take his own cup to buy his favourite mango smoothie, maybe we all can.

© 2018 Melinda J. Irvine

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• Daily Post: Toxic
• I’m part of Post A Day 2018
• Location: La Paz, Iloilo (Philipppines)