There are numerous single-use plastic products that we use and throw out without giving it much thought. These plastics will take about 450 years to decompose, making it one of the biggest offenders when it comes to pollution. “But, I recycle,” you say? While that’s excellent—and by all means, please keep recycling as much as possible—most plastics can only be recycled a handful of times before the fibers are too depleted to turn them into something new. Here are simple changes you can make to combat the negative impact we’re having on our planet and start living more sustainably.
1. Reusable Shopping Bags
You probably already have reusable shopping bags. Be sure to bring your bags along for all shopping trips, not just the grocery store—Target, bookstores, even clothing stores will gladly fill your reusable bags at checkout! Let’s say you forget the bags in your car or back at home, load the items into your car without the aid of bags—I bet you remember them next time!
Instead of using plastic bags for produce, use reusable produce bags or no bags at all. I was a big offender here. I would put all of my produce in those handy tear off plastic bags, then the second I got home I tore them open, loaded my fruits and veggies into the fridge, and tossed the bags in the trash. It’s embarrassing I did this with no real thought about the impact all those little plastic bags would have on the world for the next 450 years. Now, I carefully consider if the produce even needs a bag. For items I prefer to contain, mesh produce bags work great and are easy to clean.
Single-use plastic straws have been a topic of debate for some time now—some states are even putting bans on them. It’s easier than ever to purchase reusable metal, silicone, or even glass straws to replace the single use plastic versions. I have both silicone and metal and it depends on the day and beverage as to which one I prefer. I don’t do glass because—kids! Silicone is definitely easy to bend and pack, I also like that I can stuff them inside my Nalgene bottle. But, I prefer stainless steel straws for my iced coffee drinks. I was great about using these at home, but I’m making the extra effort to keep them on me for dining—I mean, drinking—out.
I have stopped purchasing plastic food storage containers—and I don’t miss them at all. I received two sets of glass baking and storage containers for our wedding. For years they sat in the cabinet rarely used. One day it was like a lightbulb came on over my head—Why do I own plastic containers that crack, discolor, and frequently need replaced? Why am I using pricey one-time use plastic baggies? Why am I bothering with pesky cling wrap? I had perfectly good glass containers with lids just sitting in the cabinet great for not only baking, but storing the leftovers. It was such a simple, money saving, and waste reducing change. You could even go the extra mile and bring a glass container for leftovers when dining out.
5. Water Bottles
Plastic water bottles are the biggest contributor to plastic pollution. We are blessed to live in a country with an abundance of clean drinking water, yet for some reason we fall prey to buying the single-use plastic bottled version. I know those plastic bottles are convenient, but I’m here to assure you making the switch to reusable bottles is not difficult. Have a filled water bottle for each member of the family. Everyone should keep their water bottle on them at all times—don’t worry, it will become habit after the first week or so. To make things even more convenient, keep extra already filled reusable bottles in the fridge. This makes it easy to swap out bottles when you don’t have the time to refill, or to quickly grab on your way out the door. Splurge for bottles that you will enjoy carrying around. Here are my favorites…
The idea of going zero-waste sounds great, but it’s just not an attainable goal. The extreme ‘zero-waste’ term itself is likely scaring some people off from making changes. Try spending just one month avoiding single-use plastics. After making a few simple changes for an entire month, I’m certain it will be easier to incorporate these changes into a new lifestyle of less waste. Reducing waste goes hand in hand with a minimalist lifestyle. If you’re already at the point where you are trying to declutter and get organized, it’s likely you are also becoming a more conscientious buyer. The more thought we put into what we purchase and how we use those items the better it will be, not only for our lives, but for future generations, and our planet as well.
What plastic reducing changes are you going to make?