It is not a secret that our environment is in a scary state. One of the biggest areas of concern is the amount of plastic waste that we produce. Plastic is one of the most commonly used materials as it is cheap and easy to make. You can find it anywhere and everywhere. In fact, if what your purchasing isn’t made from plastic, it is most likely wrapped in it. With that in mind, plastic doesn’t disintegrate and therefore is here to stay. Just think about all the plastic that is sitting around from years and years ago! Today, there has been a total of 6,489,119 tons of plastic waste that has been dumped into our oceans. In turn, this has and continues to create serious environmental issues globally.
Understanding that every little bit helps, I made myself a promise. A promise to live a plastic-free life. This being something new, I jumped two feet in and miserably failed after one day. Let me tell you, it is easier said than done! Therefore, I have created a small list of the simplest things I have done to make my plastic-free transition easier!
- La Vie Unwrapped
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Convenience is one of our biggest enemies when grocery shopping. What’s cheap and easy, is always the most appealing. However, understanding the consequences of all that unnecessary packaging is essential to improving our carbon footprint. When I first started my journey of living plastic-free, packaging was my hardest-fought battle. That being said, it is do-able! While most items in stores seem to be all wrapped, there are many that you can purchase that are zero-waste. The best and easiest place to start is in produce. When in this section, avoid using the plastic clear bags to store your purchases. Just remember, even when you use a plastic bag, you wash the produce when you get home anyway, so spare the environment!
- Meet Your New Best Friends: Reusable Bags
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An easy and simple way you can make an impact on the environment is to make the switch to reusable bags. Coming in all sorts, and sizes, you can help the planet and look cute while you’re at it!
- Think Before You Drink
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Coffee and Tea Addicts! This is a huge one. A study done by Peter Goodwinshowed that “less than 1% of takeaway coffee cups get recycled”. This is largely due to the fact that the plastic used to laminate the cups has to be removed before the paper is pulped and therefore only certain companies are able to do so. To stray away from these stats, purchase a travel mug. Travel mugs come in all sorts of colours and sizes, and in many places you can find them for cheap prices. On top of this, these keep your drink warm (or cold) longer, and some places such as Starbucks will give you a discount for using one!
- Goldilock Wraps
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EEEK! When I came across these beeswax food storage wraps I was truly beside myself. Not only are they reusable and fun, but they are adorable. You can purchase them on Amazon for anywhere from $13.00- $20.00.
- Beware! What Are You Sipping From?
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There has been a fantastic movement recently with plastic straws. From grocery stores to restaurants, large companies are starting the movement away from plastic straws. However, if you are anything like me, sipping from a straw is the only way that I enjoy my drink. Therefore, there are a few alternatives I have resorted to. Firstly, was paper straws. Great for one use, these paper straws are quick, convenient, and a little more kind to the environment! However, my new go-to has been the reusable straw! The straw is easy to clean, and store.
- Glass Containers
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While I thought I was helping the environment by using Tupperware containers, something I never considered was the plastic that is used and made for these. Therefore, making the switch to glass containers ensured I was following through with my promise.