10 Simple Ways to Reduce Plastic Waste
10 Simple Ways to Reduce Plastic
Recently, there have been an enormous effort to reduce the use of plastic. Plastic is one of the causes of pollutions that we are having today. To make matters worse, marine species are currently facing threats due to the uncontrollable use of plastic. It does not take a single penny to start reducing our daily plastic use. In fact, it saves cost and the environment too! Thus, in order to initiate the awareness, here are 10 simple ways to reduce plastic.
1) Reusable Water Bottle
I am a huge fan of water to the point that I can differentiate between a good quality of water and the bad ones. There was one time when I had to buy bottled water and it tasted like earth. I soon found out from the label that it was coming from the unfiltered, underground water and mostly recommended for washing purposes, but still βsafeβ to drink. From then on, I stopped buying bottled water and instead, I went to get a stainless-steel bottle and have been using it for several years now since that incident. Stainless steel bottles are the best option because they do not produce plastic chemicals and as an extra feature, would keep your water warm for several hours.
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Source:https://pixabay.com/photos/clean-kanteen-metal-bottle-bottle-4423681/Β
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2)Β Reusable Shopping Bags
I am a fan of going to events and carnivals just to get the goodies bag from the organizer and participating organizations. Iβd walk for several hours, attending various booths and ensure that I get some bags to get home. What I like about them is that they are mostly canvas or clothed bags that can be reused for my grocery shopping. I always had trouble keeping the plastic bags at my home βΒ I donβt know what to do with them, so I ended up discarding them.
I also noticed that these days, some supermarkets offer reusable shopping bags to encourage people to use fewer plastic bags. This is a good initiative and would results in more plastic bags could be reduced and there is a high chance that the environment could be saved!
Source:https://pixabay.com/photos/basket-bag-shopping-bag-wear-mesh-2652620/
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3)Β Produce Bag
My favorite part about grocery shopping is buying fresh fruits and vegetables. The reason for that is because I get to use my produce bag to keep my fruits and vegetables without worrying about wasting more plastic bags.
Most of the fruits and vegetables at the supermarkets are unwrapped and unpackaged. They are also the easiest items to buy without plastic bags. A produce bag is a better option as they are handy and reusable, as well as eco-friendly. You can buy them at https://upcycleletstransform.com/.
Source: https://upcycleletstransform.com/shop?olsPage=products
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4) Use Solid Toiletries
Itβs always a pity for the environment every time I ran out of my shampoos and I had to throw the empty bottles. I felt like I have failed to look after the earth and started to take initiatives to reduce the use of plastics.
Things like shampoo, body wash, hair conditioner, sunscreen, and many more liquid-based toiletries are stored in plastic or glass containers. If you think about it, most of the containers cannot be reused and would be discarded when they have run out. This actually uses more plastic than you think. As an alternative, try to find toiletries in solid forms as they are proven to last longer than their liquid forms. In addition, there are many soaps wrapped in paper boxes produced in order to reduce plastic use. You can opt for these to replace your liquid toiletries.
Source:https://pixabay.com/photos/soda-lime-soap-lemon-brush-clean-4017613/
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5)Β Metal or Bamboo Straws
The use of plastic straws became a controversy since a turtle was found dead by the beach with a plastic straw found in its breathing system. In my case,Β I have always been skeptical about the hygiene of the straws that I used in restaurants. Touched bare-handed with exposure to the dusty air, these thoughts have taken over me that every time I wanted to use a plastic straw, Iβd wipe it off before using it.Β Moreover, the use of metal or bamboo straws seems more hygienic as you get to wash them before reusing them again.
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6)Β Bring Your Own Cutlery
Many food outlets provide plastic cutlery for their customers because they are cheap, and no washing is needed. However, most of them are not aware of the consequences to the environment but are rather more concern about their profits. If you care about our environment, please bring your own stainless-steel cutlery and refuse to be given the plastic ones from the vendors. Get one for yourself and keep it in your bag in case you might forget bringing them. Not only that, but their cleanliness is also guaranteed as you are the one who washes and touches them!
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7)Β Reusable Lunch Box
My colleagues have always been impressed at my effort to bring my own lunch boxes and seeing me bringing them to the cafeteria for some takeaway foods. After some time, they get inspired by my action and started to join me to do the same gesture.
Instead of using the transparent, plastic lunch box to pack your lunch, get a stainless-steel one instead. You can save a good amount of money by doing this while protecting our environment. Not only that, you can also get the one with cool designs on the outside with the stainless-steel inner compartments to show off to your friends!
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8)Β Beeswax wraps instead of cling wraps
Replace cling wraps with beeswax wraps to cover your food to reduce plastic use. Beeswax wraps are washable and could be used many times compared to the one-time cling wraps. Since they come in various designs and forms, you could make your dining experience become more unique and appetizing!
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Source: https://pixabay.com/photos/food-storage-food-wrap-beeswax-2654750/
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9)Β Take Your Own Coffee Cup
A coffee lover who as well loves the environment wouldnβt mind taking their own coffee cup for their first coffee of the day. Furthermore, most coffee outlets today are offering discounts when you bring your own cup to get their coffee. Psst, honestly, I have started using my own cup ever since I found out about the discounts. Isnβt that smart or genius? Probably both!
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10)Β Do It Yourself
If you are an arts and craft enthusiast, you could use this specialty to produce your own goods from scratch. This could save you a few dollars from buying them at the supermarkets. Custom-made items are more durable and unique in designs as well.
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Source: https://pixabay.com/illustrations/accessory-buttons-clothing-craft-3634503/
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I do trust all the ideas you have introduced for your post. They are very convincing and can definitely work. Nonetheless, the posts are very brief for newbies. Could you please lengthen them a bit from next time? Thank you for the post.