10 Ways You Can Cut Plastic Out of Your Life Right Now
Here are 10 quick tips I have to help you cut the plastic addiction! Plastic takes thousands of years to degrade, uses hundreds of tons of oil to produce every day, and puts hundreds of wildlife species in danger. If you're ready to make an effort to love your planet, start with these 10 tips! Mother nature will definitely be thankful you did.
1. Skip the straw.
Do we really need it? Face it, if you're at a restaurant and they didn't properly wash your cup, are you really avoiding those germs? Americans are so overly accustom to the use of plastic straws everywhere, and quite frankly, I'm not sure I will ever understand why.
You might say, "But Alison, I ordered a Starbucks drink to go. How can I not use a straw?" And I get that - But if you're constantly on the go, why not just invest in a stainless steel straw? They're cheap, better for the environment, and super portable!
2. Reusable shopping bags. Se-ri-ous-ly.
Why do so many people take issue with cute little shopping bags? If you haven't already heard of them, Chico-bags are some of the best portable shopping bags on the market because they come with their own tiny pouch to squeeze into. Just slip a few Chico-bags in your purse and you're good to go! How much easier can it possibly get?
3. Ditch the single serve bottles.
Convenient? Maybe. But plastic bottles are one of the leading factors in plastic pollution. According to National Geographic, Americans dispose of 29 billion plastic water bottles alone per year. Reusable water bottles can come in plenty of different forms, and the choice is yours on whether you want to use stainless steel or (my personal favorite) glass. Despite their material, glass water bottles are a lot more fool-proof than you'd think!
4. Make your own coffee at home. In a french press.
This is one of the most sustainable ways to make your coffee, AND it saves you money! Coffee lovers, you can actually save anywhere from about $300-$420 a year by preparing your daily cup of joe at home! Just make sure your coffee beans are fair-trade and preferably approved by the Rainforest Alliance Organization.
5. Online shopping? Request minimal plastic packaging.
Once, I actually ordered makeup online and my lipstick came in about 2 feet of thick plastic packaging. Like, really? I think my lipstick is going to survive without the excess packaging, thank you. If you're ordering something more fragile, this may not always be the most sufficient option, but if you're a regular online shopper, keep this one in mind!
6. Be mindful of plastic packaging when grocery shopping.
If you're in a city like mine where you literally have no access to buying completely in bulk, don't lose all hope. The little things make a big difference! If you have the choice of buying apples either in or out of plastic packaging, go with the plastic-free packaging! Once you practice being mindful of this for a while, you will get the hang of it. And hey, if you're lucky enough to have access to a bulk grocery store, take advantage of the opportunity to shop in bulk! It saves money in the long run and time (so you're not running to the grocery store every two days).
7. Swear off the Ziplock bag.
Ziplock, I truly loved you when I was a kid. Without you, I wouldn't have had my favorite salami sandwich to take along to school for lunch every day (I am vegetarian now so that is quite a bit disturbing to think about). But now that I'm an adult, I don't need you. My favorite alternative to Ziplock is the beeswax cloth wrap for sandwiches and such. I also love Lunchskins for packing snacks!
8. Try making this super fantastic newspaper "trash bag".
Okay, when I first saw these on Pinterest, I'm not gonna lie - I thought they were kind of goofy. Like, can that chinsy excuse of a garbage liner really work? Well, I actually tried it out myself, and I absolutely loved it. This is perfect for bathroom trash cans and (if you're totally not down to reuse them) you can recycle the newspaper afterwards. I prefer reusing. Plus, once you decrease your plastic dependence, you start to realize you don't produce nearly as much trash as you used to. For real, though.
9. Give the bar a try.
Not the place for boozing - Just another "hippie" fad if that's what you really want to call it (except it could be no-poo, so chill). Say adios to bottled shampoo and conditioner, and say hello to shampoo and conditioner bars! It's okay to be skeptical, it's just not something you're used to. But it still leaves your hair the same as any other shampoo because it reacts to the shower water. This is the future, y'all.
*For brownie points, make sure to try shaving bars too! I'm pretty sure they were popular a few decades ago but they really give you a luxurious experience. Ditch that old aerosol can, if you will.
10. Tupperware, I bid you farewell.
If you truly have nothing else, reusing plasticware will suffice - But it's easy to find reusable dishes that aren't made of plastic. You have replace them eventually, right? Most plasticware ends up in landfills and are not properly recycled. You can find stainless steel and glass food storage containers here. If you are using plasticware, that's okay! Just try to recycle every dish you can when it's time to part ways.
BONUS: Get the cone, my dudes.
Rough day? Better question, does treating yourself to ice cream even need to be justified? Next time you ask for the scoop, serve it up in a cone and ditch the dish! If you're not team cone, I'm judging you (unless you have allergies, then you are just barely forgiven).
Any other tips you'd like to see? Leave a comment below! I'd love to hear what you are passionate about and share ideas!
