Anyone following the news over the last decade is aware of the damage wrought on Earth’s ecosystem thanks to pollution. One of the biggest reasons for the severity of the situation is the use of plastics in our everyday life. Plastic products are used frequently by almost everyone around the globe, which has now reached a critical point.
Many governments and corporations have taken notice of this fact and are trying their best to mitigate plastic usage and encourage customers and citizens to do the same as well. If you do your part in cutting down on plastic use, then it might just be the difference needed to make the world a healthier place. Here are five ways to start cutting down on plastic use.
1. Go Reusable
A common reason why plastic products are considered in such high demand is simply because most of the population are accustomed to their use. Instead of plastic bags, if reusable paper, jute, or tote bags are adopted, users would be able to carry just as much as they would in a plastic bag, but actually avoid pollution.
Plastic bags, cups, plates, and other products are often designated for one-time use. The problem with this mentality is that it piles up a lot of garbage that can’t be broken down by nature before a century is up, so the best thing you can do to cut down on plastic usage is to use reusable products.
2. Stop Buying Into the Idea
Another big problem that contributes to high plastic product usage is the idea that most of it is actually recycled once dropped into the garbage bin and collected by the garbage collector. Supermarkets, takeout joints, and grocery stores contribute to this problem greatly as they are the ones who provide the shopping bags and packaging to their customers.
You need to stop buying into the idea that most of the plastic you throw away on a daily basis is actually recycled. Instead, carry your own reusable carry bags to the store or supermarket to carry your purchases. Most of the plastic trash thrown away finds itself at the bottom of the ocean or landfills as it’s the cheaper solution to spending millions of dollars on recycling efforts and infrastructure.
3. Shop Sustainable Fashion
A lot of fashion accessories and clothing packaging use a lot of plastic which is often not taken into consideration when talking about environmental pollution caused by plastic. Shopping for sustainable clothing can greatly help in cutting down an average person’s use of plastic products. The most common accessories made of plastic include glass frames, wristbands, hair bands, bracelets, and more.
You can easily buy these accessories made from other materials. For example, round glasses made of metal frames and glass lenses are a great alternative to plastic glass frames. Not only is it a good way to be more environmentally mindful, but the materials are more durable as well. Not all brands provide sustainable clothing options for eco-friendly customers, so make sure to research which brands do to shop for sustainable fashion.
On the subject of sustaining things, giving away or donating your old clothes to charities or other non-profit organizations go a long way in saving the environment.
4. Skip the Bagging and Wrapping
One of the most common and ridiculous uses of plastics is in bagging and wrapping stuff. Whether you’re buying gifts or groceries, you should skip bagging groceries using plastic bags or using plastic wrapping to cut down on the use of plastics.
Instead of plastic wrapping for gifts, you can use brown paper bags, cardboard boxes, ribbons made of fabrics, wicker baskets, etc. If you plan to do the wrapping yourself, then look around the house for items you can use to prepare the gift wrapping.
5. Eat In
Restaurants and takeout diners play a large part in plastic pollution, thanks to all the one-time plastic accessories used in the industry. Plastic cups, plates, and forks are much cheaper than their eco-friendly counterparts.
To reduce this wastage, you can easily eat at home rather than going out to a restaurant or eating out. You should also stop buying one-time cups and plates for home use if you have a habit of doing so since this habit leads to high plastic waste accumulation.
Doing Your Part
Cutting down on plastic is definitely not an easy task if you’re accustomed to its presence and use in your daily life. But unless you take action to cut down on plastic usage, we all will be heading towards an eco-disaster no one wants to be in. So do the responsible thing and cut down on plastic usage as much as possible.
Article Submitted By Community Writer
