Wedges of plastic foam tumbling in the wind. Crematoriums in the UK send 14,670 cubic metres of floral foam and single-use plastic to landfill every year – that’s six Olympic-sized swimming pools, jammed with plastic, sent to the dump. Floral foam is lightweight and cheap, allowing florists to create perfect arrangements, held in plastic trays, secured with plastic tape and adorned with colourful plastic bows and ribbons. Plastic flowers don’t ask anything of us at all, not even water. Can we find a more nature-first way to rid our burial grounds of plastic?

Source: The Irish Times March 21, 2026 23:25 UTC