Why You Need to Quit Single-Use Plastic & 5 Ways to Reduce Your Use
Single-use-plastic are dirty words in our household, though like many, using these products is very hard to avoid! Those of us who have grown up in the Millennial generation and younger were raised with zip-lock bags, saran wrap and grocery bags as normal waste products that we throw in the trash when we’re done with. I’m not here to preach that plastic is forbidden, but there are way to greatly REDUCE the amount that you are unknowingly using and it starts with acknowledging that you have a problem. We all have a problem. We all love plastic.
Shop with Re-Usable Bags
The Science Behind Plastic
According to an article from the Science History Institute, the idea behind plastic was first discovered around 1869 where a man named John Hyatt found a way to create synthetic polymer that could be crafted in a way that imitates natural substances. For the first time, we discovered that we are not bound to only what nature provides. Over the course of the next 150 years, this synthetic polymer, or plastic, was invented several times over with the introduction of cellophane, Plexiglas, and plastic bottles that replaced glass. What’s alarming is that every. single. plastic. item. is still in the ground and has yet to decompose completely. Plastic bottles are estimated to take between 200 and 1000 years to decompose and yet no one really knows just yet. What’s worse, is the way we tightly compact our landfills it actually slows the decomposition process down because air, light and microorganisms are needed to break things down (none of which are present in large enough quantities). Zip-Lock bags, which are much thinner than a plastic bottle take the same amount of time.
The Real Problems
You might be arguing that plastic is recyclable, but according to Earthday.Org 91% of plastic isn’t recycled. Yep, of the 6.3 Billion Metric TONS of plastic waste that has been produced, only 9% has been recycled.
Ditch Zip-Lock and use Re-usable Bags Instead
A few more facts about plastic thanks to some Google Searching:
The global market for plastic products is GROWING at about 3% each year
The global manufacturing of plastic is expected to be worth $1.2 TRILLION this year in 2020
China is one of the largest producers of plastic (including Zip-Lock)
So why are we still using them?
You might think that this problem is bigger than what you’re using in your house, which isn’t the right answer. If every house were to cut back on their single-use plastic purchases and make a one-time purchase of some re-usable items to use in their place you will greatly reduce plastic profits and put money towards using Earth-friendly products.
Reduce your Use!
We are here to share some of the easiest of ways we are trying to reduce single use items.
Stop buying single-use plastic bottles and get in the habit of refilling a water-bottle already. If you a soda drinker, well, you really should just quit soda. If you haven’t seen the episode on the Netflix series “Rotten” called “Troubled Water”, watch it! If you want to read why read our article by clicking here. Investing in just one reusable bottle will result in 1500 less plastic bottles per year being sent to the landfill.
Stop buying Ziplock bags and use reusable ones instead. This past Christmas we received some as a gift and love them. I honestly use them daily for lunches I bring to work. The best part is they are dishwasher safe, you can use them in the freezer and for liquids.
Shop with Re-Usable Bags or at least opt for paper. This seems like a no-brainer, but over 100 Billion plastic bags are used every. single. year. Yep… 100,000,000,000 single-use plastic bags. We all need to pitch in and do our part here because these are polluting our planet.
Use less Saran Wrap and try bee’s wax paper instead. We have greatly reduced the use of saran wrap in our home because of these. Get some and share with our friends!
Go out of your way to Recycle. You heard me earlier right, that only 9% of plastic is actually recycled? I’ve seen it happen, I’ve done it! ‘That plastic tub is so dirty and I don’t have time to clean it,’ or ‘you finished your drink but are only near a trash can’. C’Mon! I know it’s not always easy or accessible, but we can all do better.
Our alternative to plastic wrap
This all sounds awful preachy, we know, but we all need to understand is this is not a process that happens overnight. You aren’t going to read this and wake up the next morning completely plastic free. The point of all of this is to make conscious efforts to change our habits one small choice at a time.
What are all of you doing to reduce or eliminate single use plastics in your house? Let us know your favorite ways to reduce your single-use plastic use on Social Media!
Happy Earth Week!
L&B
