Imagine if time stopped ticking, your noisy life in the 21st Century has been drowned out, and just think about your daily routine. When you wake up in the morning and go to the bathroom to brush your teeth, do you think to notice what your toothpaste tube is made of? Fast forward to breakfast, you go downstairs and you open your pantry, do you realize what it’s full of?
Plastics.
Plastics seem to be virtually unavoidable now, but how much do you actually know about plastic? Plastic is an inexpensive polymer, that according to Environmental Protection Agency will take up to 400 years to decompose but is completely non-biodegradable (meaning that plastic will only bio-accumulate in the environment). Ignorance is truly bliss, thousands of people are ignorantly living in a throw-away world, never giving these little thoughtless tasks, like brushing your teeth, a second look. Most material things we are connected to, we program ourselves into a blind routine every day and never bother to look at the little things. I am inviting you to give emphasis to those little things because forever sounds like a big commitment.
Some simple ways to avoid plastic is a system known as the 5R’s, “refuse, reduce, reuse, re-purpose and recycle”.
The first step to living a greener life is to refuse! Refuse means that you should refuse things you do not need. A good example for refusing is when you are out eating, refuse a straw! Each and every day in America, American’s use 500 million straws. This one-use plastic convenience is not worth the waste.
Next, reduce! Reduce, means to limit the items you are buying. Try to stay away from materialist tendencies. Care for your products and you will be happier for it. Minimalist lives are normally healthier and happier ones!
Reuse is utilizing a product you already have during another time or buying canvas bags, or glass go-containers in order to eliminate one-use plastics.
Reuse requires utilizing a product more than once, typically the product is already in your possession. If you do not have reusable products at home there are many places where you can purchase these products. Buying canvas bags at the grocery, or glass go-containers in order to eliminate one-use plastics are simple practices to follow a more sustainable path. Owning products that have a long-life span limits that amount of waste you are producing and tends to be cost-effective in the long run.
Re-purpose: one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. This task calls for your creative side, giving that once-have one-use item a different purpose. Re-purposing allows you to personalize items into something that’s one of a kind.
Lastly, when you are unable to refuse, reduce, reuse, or re-purpose you can recycle, but recycling should be looked at as the last option. Recycling is simple and many people think of it as the only option, but it is not as effective at extending the product’s lifecycle as much as the first four options.
Now, we have gone through recognizing the problem and how to take action. Next time you’re thinking about buying something new, equip yourself with the 5R’s. By doing so you are a more knowledgeable consumer, avoiding one-use plastics and limiting your negative impact on the environment – changing the world for the best.