Plastic is a part of our life. It's almost impossible remove all the plastic from our lives, however, there are ways to reduce the consumption of it. Whether you are new reducing your plastic consumption or looking for new ways to make changes, hopefully some of these ideas will help get you started or come up with your own ideas.
1. Make your own reusable bags from t-shirts.
Many of us have t-shirts hanging in our closets we no longer wear. Rather than tossing them out you could turn these t-shirts into reusable bags. If you don't have any t-shirts you no longer need you to make your own, there are many eco-friendly alternatives such reusable fabric bags.
2. Ditch the plastic straws and start using reusable straws
There's been so much talk in the media lately about plastic straws. It's so great to see some restaurants have even banning plastic straws. But lets be honest, some drinks are just better with a straw. Fortunately there are alternatives. Whether it's bamboo or metal there are lots of alternatives.
3. Bring your own utensils and reusable cups to fast food restaurants
We've all been there. You order your food and then you need to grab the disposable plastic utensils. Rather than grabbing plastic utensils, bring your own from home. As long as they are in a wrap or container they should fit comfortably in your purse or bag.
4. Stop buying plastic water bottles
With so many alternatives to plastic water bottles this is something we can do today. Bring your own refillable bottle where ever you go. If your bottle is plastic, use it. The idea is not to purchase more plastic or to add to the waste. Once you need to replace the bottle choose a greener alternative such as metal or glass.
5. Use reusable containers to store food rather than plastic wrap.
I think it's ok to continue using plastic containers if you have them, but the idea is to stop buying new ones in favour of glass containers. Just like the water bottles, the idea is not to add to the plastic waste but to reduce our consumption of it.
Photo by Denise Johnson on Unsplash
It's all about making changes we can live with and sustain. Change doesn't happen over night. Start small and then build on it.
I would love to hear your thoughts. What ideas do you have to reduce plastic? Have you made any changes in your own life?