Sean Lock on recycling: “I just feel stupid!”

• Jul. 8 by Natalie Adcock (1)

I am a big fan of Michael McInyre’s Comedy Roadshow, so when Sean Lock (from 8 Out of Ten Cats) started talking about the environment a week ago, my ears particularly perked up.

Have a chuckle for yourself by watching it here on the BBC iPlayer, but here is what Lock said:

“I’m quite interested in to why some people really, really care about the environment and why some people just don’t give a s***. Some people would quite happily just fly to the shops, wouldn’t they? If easy jet did a fly to the shops deal.

I do care, I care a lot actually. Well not as much as I used to because I went to America and when I came back I thought what’s the point, why do I bloody bother? Because their consumption levels are so much more extreme. I just feel stupid now, I’m at home, recycling. Washing out marmite pots. ‘Ohh, must get all the marmite out so they don’t have to make another one!’ and they’re drilling for oil in Alaska.

I just feel stupid. I feel like I’ve turned up at an earthquake with a dustpan and brush! ‘Can I help at all? Well, you do all that, I’ll do this little bit here… feel better now.’”

That’s definitely what it sometimes feels like – here in my little town of Birmingham, I’ll save my scrap bits of paper for the recycling bin and take the train whenever I can. But how does what I do help, when big commercial giants like Asda and Tesco are using thousands of plastic bags a day? When the environment is generally low on most nations’ political agenda and only used in greenwash?

I guess we just all have to keep up with our dustpan and brushes and keep faith that more and more people are joining us everyday, and that the big guys who can make a difference are starting to switch their vacuum cleaners on.