Collins Dictionary has announced “single-use” as its word of the year for 2018.
The term, which the dictionary describes as referring to “products – often plastic – that are ‘made to be used once only’ before disposal”, has seen a four-fold increase in usage over the past five years.
Collins says that images of plastic left discarded and scattered around the world, as seen in news bulletins and programmes such as the BBC’s popular Blue Planet 2, have contributed heavily towards “steeply raising public awareness of the issue.”
Other words shortlisted this year were backstop, floss, gammon, gaslight, MeToo, plogging, VAR, vegan and whitewash. The award was conceived in 2013, with previous winners including geek, binge-watch and Brexit.
The shortlist of words up for inclusion is chosen by Collins’ team of lexicographers, editorial, marketing and publicity staff. Words do not necessarily have to be new but must have gained a newfound level of prominence or relevance over the year.
Joalpe are determined to continue providing shop fitting equipment that is equally kind to businesses, customers and the environment alike. We endeavour to make products that aren’t single-use, but multi-use – for example, our plastic shopping baskets are robust, long-lasting and recyclable, and can stand tens of thousands of uses without breaking or needing to be replaced. Similarly, our J Bag is both durable and versatile, so you’ll never need to pay 5p for a carrier bag again.
For more information on our range of products, don’t hesitate to get in touch by calling on +44 01924 468940 or by emailing at [email protected].
