We all know that plastic consumption and use across the globe is causing worldwide problems. We’re also well aware that unless we do something about it, it’s only going to get worse.
The problem with saying ‘we’ is that we think we’re all in this together. Usually, that’s a comforting thought – if we were facing food shortage or a terrorist attack, camaraderie is key. In this instance though, it hampers and harms our success.
This isn’t something we can rely on others to do for us. Unless you think ‘we’ means ‘I’, you’ll be letting the side (more importantly, the planet) down. Now is no time to bury your head under the sand and hope others do the hard work.
So what can you do? Very little is the answer – the littlest changes in your day to day make all the difference. Here are a few ideas to get you going and give the world a fighting chance.
Buy in Bulk
Plenty of products don’t have use by dates, and those that do are often finished before that date is reached. For those items, do your darnedest to buy in bulk. Toilet rolls are a perfect example: don’t buy a two pack, buy a twelve pack. You know you’ll need them eventually, and you’ll be using far less plastic wrapping and saving pennies too.
Buying Fruit and Veg
Those that use a plastic bag for a single pepper really need to stop. That pepper has been handled and wrapped by all manner of things, so your supermarket trolley isn’t going to hurt it. Put large produce straight into your basket and try to use the paper bags usually provided for mushrooms for anything else. Also try and avoid buying plastic packs!
Refill Water Bottles
This is such a problem that’s so easily fixed. Before you leave the house, fill up a water bottle. There’s so many perks! It’s free! It’s already in your bag for when you’re thirsty! The environment is another non-biodegradable bottle short! A win for us all, but we don’t do it. Make this a priority and you’ll be doing the world a favour.
Don’t Chew Gum
We all like a bit of gum occasionally. It’s like satsumas – someone opens it up and immediately has to offer a piece to everyone in the vicinity. Take the orange but leave the gum in future: it will be around hundreds of years later. It’s also designed to be bite-sized, but unlike us, animals don’t know not to swallow it. For birds, it can look like bread: instead it sticks in their guts and kills them, slowly. Give up the gum for good.
Use Matches
God lighters are so easy but they’re so bad. Those little bits of coloured plastic are a nightmare. It’s time to switch back to the good old degradable match days and relish in that fantastic smell of sulphur I so miss.
Avoid Straws
They make us feel like kids again, and make that fourteenth cocktail much easier to manage. However, blink back that drunken haze and make sure to tell the bar staff no. If your kids love straws, invest in some reusable environmentally friendly ones – bamboo ones are cool, unique and kid-friendly.
Reusable Razors
This is a difficult one for me: I think reusable razors are an absolute rip off. I’m going to be giving it a go though, because the disposables are worse for everyone. Keep your bodies smooth and the environment safe.
Cotton Buds
This little trick I learned abroad, and it’s brilliant. Goodbye cotton buds (or q-tips if you’re American) and say hello to ear picks. They’re wooden sticks designed solely for cleaning wax from your ears. Simply use, wash and use again. Doctors use metal ones but we’d rather stick to the less scary bamboo types, commonly found with cutesie Asian designs.
With such easy options to hand, there’s no excuse. The whole world is begging you, so give it a go and get rid of bad plastics in your life.
The post Easy Ways for You to Battle Plastics, One Tiny Change at a Time appeared first on Felix Magazine.
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