I remember when: a world without plastic

I remember when
food was delivered in cardboard boxes
and milk arrived in bottles.
Lunches were packed in greaseproof paper.
The fish and chips
from the corner shop
were wrapped in old newspaper
like the food scraps
from the corner sink drainer
that went in the bin.
And leftovers were stored in glass containers
with covers of finely netted muslin
weighted with coloured beads.

I remember when
Every lake could be swum in
And every river could be drunk from
We could pick wild blackberries without wondering about sprays
And collect chestnuts as we were wandering
under the trees along the main road
that have gone to make State Highway One.