Easy Ways to Reduce Your Plastic Consumption at Home
Plastic pollution is reported to be the number one issue for the environment. It seems that many people have stopped using plastic straws and have reverted to using stainless steel or paper straws. While this is a great first step, we can certainly do more!
Here are some easy ways to help you get inspired to reduce your plastic consumption at home, thanks to UNICEF and Austrian Development.
Seek products that are not packaged in cellophane as they are not recyclable. When used, they eventually end up in landfills or incinerators where very toxic chemicals are released from the cellophane.
Have leftovers you want to save to make a quick, easy lunch for the next day? Don’t use plastic wraps, plastic containers, or plastic ziplock baggies because they cannot be recycled. Instead, opt to use glass bowls, glass jars, stainless steel, beeswax wrap, or aluminum foil. You may choose to reuse the ziplock bags a couple of times (which is the wiser choice over using them only once), but ultimately, this plastic ends up in a landfill; the same goes for plastic containers. Through degradation, this plastic will be broken down into smaller pieces which eventually end up in soil or the ocean.
Do you like drinking tea from tea bags? If so, did you know that a single plastic tea bag releases approximately 11 billion microplastics? These are terrible for the environment! Both plastic and paper tea bags are not able to be composted or recycled. Instead, buy loose tea in bulk (this can also help save you money) and use a strainer/tea infuser to enjoy a zero-waste cup of warm, comforting, and environmentally-friendly tea.
Kitchen and bathroom sponges are unfortunately made of plastic. After each use of the sponge, microplastics are released directly into the water. This eventually ends up in the ocean and severely damages marine life! Opt to use a natural sponge instead...yes, they actually exist believe it or not!
Take a look at your shampoo, soap, and conditioner. We bet that at least 2 out of the 3 mentioned products are in a plastic bottle. Depending on how much shampoo/soap/conditioner you go through, this plastic waste can easily start adding up when calculating it years down the road. We insist you start to become more conscious of this and take proactive measures to reduce your plastic waste. We recommend you make purchases from sustainable companies that have reverted to producing soap, shampoo, conditioner in bar form! Don’t believe us, google search it.
Instead of using a plastic toothbrush, use a bamboo made toothbrush. We promise you, keeping your teeth clean depends on your brushing technique, not what the toothbrush is made out of. You will not only have clean teeth, but you will also help create a cleaner environment.
Get creative and re-purpose the use of plastic water bottles! For example, create a chandelier. Don't forget to share your ideas with us, we’d love to hear from you!
Let’s work hard to use less plastic together!
Let’s save our future!
Let’s save our beautiful planet Earth.
