Living a life without plastic is impossible in today’s world. From containers to your car keys, we are surrounded by plastic so much that it is impossible to imagine a life without plastic. But given the harm that plastic causes to our environment, we should, at the very least, try to eradicate plastic a little if not entirely from our lives. To start with, here are few tips that you can adapt to lead a plastic-free life.
Carry your own reusable bag
For a minute’s of convenience, we cause years of damage to Earth. You can cut a lot of plastic out of your life by simply refusing to use plastic bags when you go out to shop. Your reusable bag can help you avoid buying plastic bags.
Carry your own mugs and bottles
You can avoid buying a bottled bottle by simply carrying your mug and bottle whenever you go outside. Fill your bottle every time it gets empty instead of buying bottled water. Not only you will avoid plastic but you will save your money as well.
Go for fruits over bottled juice
The sugar loaded juice that you buy not only damages your health but also increases your plastic consumption. By having fresh fruits instead of bottled juice, you will improve your overall health apart from conserving nature.
Carry lunch in alternate containers
Instead of using your regular plastic lunch box, switch to stainless steel lunch box or a fabric bag to carry your lunch.
Get rid of plastic dishes
Scan your kitchen for plastic dishes and try to replace them slowly with either steel, ceramic, or glass. And, when you are done, you will be surprised at how much plastic was sitting in your kitchen.
Replace liquid soaps with soap bars
Liquid soaps require to be contained in a plastic container and when you finish your liquid soap, the plastic container has to be thrown away as they are unable to serve any other purpose. You can avoid them by simply buying bars of soap.
Buy your ration in bulk
Instead of buying ration every once in a while, try to buy ration in bulk. You will avoid quite an amount of plastic by buying products in larger quantities in one trip. And the practice will also save your money.
Buy fresh bread
If you are a frequent consumer of bread, you might be used to buying sliced bread in a plastic bag. You can avoid buying bread wrapped in plastic by opting to buy freshly baked bread from a bakery where you can get it wrapped in paper.
Have ice cream in cones
All the ice cream jars that are piling up in your fridge that you are using to contain other things can be avoided too. Simply have ice cream in cones when you are out instead of buying a whole ice cream jar. The practice will also lower your consumption of sugar.
Reuse as much as you can
If you feel that you cannot get rid of certain kinds of plastic in your house, the best thing to do is get the best use out of them. Since plastic is a long-lasting substance, you can reuse the plastic that you find irreplaceable till it starts to fall apart. It is also an effective way of lessening your plastic consumption.
Try to replace plastic as much as you can
Take a good look around your house; is there anything that can be replaced? If you think that a certain plastic product can be replaced with something else, do it immediately. This will help you get rid of unnecessary plastic lying around the house.
Be patient
Plastic is embedded so deeply in our lifestyle that it can be stressful to avoid it at first. You might feel that the process is overwhelming as finding alternatives for so much plastic is a difficult process. You will have to stay patient and consistent in your efforts to ensure that you keep up the good work.
Don’t expect to be plastic free entirely
Just like we already said, the plastic is hard to get rid of entirely. If you set large expectations and expect to get rid of it in just a few days, you will end up disappointing yourself. Keep your expectations low and if you are unable to lead an entirely plastic-free life, know that your efforts still count.