We always hear about how plastic is very bad for us, and one of the ways that we lose track of how much plastic we use is single-use plastics. Plastics are bad because, over time, they can add up and cause problems for the earth.
Plastic impacts our lives directly, but we also have to remember that producing plastic takes up energy from fossil fuels and further harms the environment. Since we reuse very little plastic, it is best to avoid using plastic as much as possible.
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Carry Reusable Shopping Bags
We all love to go shopping. If you have a habit of shopping for clothes or even groceries, it is best to use a reusable bag to avoid accumulating plastic ones. People use about 500 billion up to one trillion plastic bags in one year, and most of these bags just end up being littler that do not go away for hundreds of years. Only one out of 200 plastic bags gets used again, so it is best to avoid these completely.
Avoid Bottled Water
In America alone, people use 50 billion plastic bottles every year, and only about 23 percent of that is recycled and used again. Bottled water can lead to plastic being produced in large quantities, but making these bottles requires a lot of fossil fuels, which can be very harmful to the environment. Instead, you should switch to reusable BPA-free water bottles. In doing so, you will help the environment and save money.
Shop At A Farmers Market
Shopping at a farmer’s market can have many benefits for you. You will get fresher fruits and vegetables because it is grown nearby most of the time, so the produce is fresh, and it also needs less transportation as it moves over a much smaller area to reach you. The produce at farmers’ markets usually doesn’t have plastic wrapping, which helps reduce the waste created by using plastic. If you bring a few shopping bags of your own and use that, you would be able to carry all the food you buy, and you will not produce any extra waste.
Swap Your Bottles For Bars
You can use a bar of soap compared to using a body wash or shampoo because it can reduce the use of plastic bottles. Liquid soap also needs more energy to produce, and the packaging takes up a lot of energy. A bar of soap can be much better in this way as compared to dish soap. You could also use a bar of soap for washing dishes instead of liquid soap. Some soaps contain animal or plant fats, so it is best to avoid them, but you can get better soaps made of better materials, which can help you reduce waste.
Carry Your Coffee Cups
Many coffee cups contain plastic in some form. One way to prevent this is by carrying your reusable cups because that can help reduce a lot of waste, and on the plus side, you will also end up saving some cash because certain shops offer discounts if you bring your own coffee cup. If you want to keep your coffee for a long time, you can use a thermos to keep your coffee warm until you drink it. The best option is to make the coffee by yourself at home to save money and the environment. Instead of using a single-use filter, you can use a reusable filter.
Avoid Plastic Straws
About 390 million straws are used every day in America alone, and if you can avoid using plastic straws, it would be a good idea. You can use paper straws instead. Many fast-food restaurants are now offering paper straws because they realize the harmful effects of plastic straws. If you can avoid straws completely, that would be best, but paper straws are better than plastic straws. Another option is buying reusable metal straws. There might be about seven billion straws around the shorelines, and many governments are banning plastic straws now because they realize how harmful they are. Plastic straws can go into oceans and spoil the ecosystem. Another option is buying reusable metal straws.
Conclusion
There is lots of plastic in the environment, the land and the oceans are filling up with plastic, which is causing problems for everyone. Animals are dying on land and in the seas because they might mistake plastic and eat it. Anyone can follow all these ways mentioned in the list above, and it would make a difference if you chose to follow these steps as the environment would get better. Plastic takes very long to degrade, and if we stop and reduce the use of plastic, then the earth will begin to clear up very soon, and our lives will improve as well.
