Simple Steps to Slashing Plastic Use
I’m sorry to remind you of the plastic crisis. I wouldn’t if I didn’t need to.
The cleanup job seems impossible to remedy given the rate that we are manufacturing the problem.
I don’t preach that you follow the mega-bucks and chase down a solution. In truth, it is as simple as taking the necessary steps in the right direction.
What matters is getting enough of us to decide to take those steps.
Here is what you can do without stretching yourself too far. I think that you’ll actually get a lot back once you’ve implemented a few of these tips.
Why you matter:
You’re a consumer. Even by reading this article, you are consuming and there is a response by any supplier to adapt to consumer wants and demands. Each supplier works entirely around its consumer audience.
If the demand for single-use/pointless plastics falls, then so will the rate of production. This will give our planet the respite it so desperately needs.
Every demand that you place on plastics that wind up immediately or eventually into the bin, onto the street floor or into the sea, could, possibly, have been avoided altogether. At the very least, its amount or likely impact could have been reduced.
Without having to cut plastic out altogether, you can reduce your usage and this will send a non-personal message to the suppliers (the ones who have to respond with the next change).
As the demand for non-plastic, eco-friendly options increases, it will be followed by a boost in the supply as an attempt to meet this new increasing demand. What you do does have an impact on the overall market.
Again, it doesn’t need to be drastic. Seek to minimize and best of all - be prepared (with your own bags, cutlery, etc…).
There will likely be no overnight law, no triumphant petition or great ’clean up’ (that will stay clean) until we all make a personal change. Start small. That way you have made a start. As a consumer, have a daily choice.
A contaminated world:
I don’t like the idea of turtles choking on carrier bags. I don’t want to hear of birds being tangled in netting. I don’t enjoy the imagery of thousands of bottles being washed ashore on an otherwise paradisiacal beach. I don’t wish to be reminded that microscopic plastics contaminate every water source in my country.
Pulled from the ground, pumped into the air, then, tossed aside and left to (never) rot. I don’t like pointless plastics and I don’t believe that you should either.
Taking steps in the right direction is not hard. And ‘steps in the right direction’ are all that it takes, gathered that there are enough of us that ‘join the walk’.
Our accumulative effect will have the final say over this mess. Not the result of a few of us living as pure as saints.
There are other demands on our time, personal worries on our mind, and, if nothing else, we just want to enjoy the time we have spare. But I assure you, it’s not hard.
Here are a few simple things that you can do:
What can I do?
We all know to some extent what we can do. It’s largely down to common sense. But this brief re-cap with a few ideas may hopefully remind you, giving you the boost you need to finally follow through.
Reducing plastic usage altogether.
Whether it is a single plastic straw or picking up the 1kg bag of rice instead of a weekly total of four 250g bags. It’s often petty, but when you have to buy plastic, there’s normally an option to go with less.
A few ways to reduce your plastic usage could be:
Buy bulk single, larger bags.
Bring your own bags (carrier bags and item bags - any bag you’re going to need)
Refuse pointless plastic cutlery or straws. You can bring your own or seek (better still ask) for an alternative.
Boycott petty plastics such as Kinder Egg toys and magazine freebies. They’re never around for long and it only means that they wind up in the bin. Something equally exciting and certainly more creative could be to go on a trail hunt for natural items of interest - use your imagination and creative edge!
Recycling plastic when it has got to go.
Being organized with your waste is helpful. Though to manufacture, sort and re-manufacture waste products are still costly and not the most efficient process - it’s best to just keep your usage as low as possible. Recycling should be the final step… Nevertheless, an important one!
Re-using plastics where possible.
Simple, effective, and it can save you money!
These are a few items that you may find yourself reusing:
Take away tubs. I use these every day! Storage for nuts and bolts in the garage, food in the fridge, organizing different snacks in a picnic. Why throw away takeaway tubs and buy tupperware? If it’s so that they ‘last longer’ then I’m sure you’ll have had another take away before the last tubs have worn out. You can eventually recycle them.
Cutlery. It might interest you to know that I traveled for two years with the same plastic spoon that I picked up in the train station where I set off!
Carrier bags. Please never throw a working bag away! Take it on your next shopping trip or keep hold of it for some other use. Someone might need a sick bag at your next house party?
Picking up discarded plastics to make sure they make it to the bin.
This could be a lot better for you than you may think! It won’t make plastic go away but it will spare the wildlife and the scenery wherever you’re involved.
Keep reading to ‘Make it about you’ and see why.
Get involved!
There are petitions, groups, charities, and awareness programs all over the world and the web that you could offer your help to. Either by donation, joining a team (such as a clear up team) or just simply using whatever voice you have (on social media or in-person) to speak up about what can be done and why.
Make it About Wellbeing...
Tie your ‘tidy living’ in with your regular routine or health/bodily needs…
There have been many fantastic trends such as #cleanbeaches, #trashtag, and #littering that have fuelled a rise in popularity toward what is truly a ’litter crisis’, helping make it a global movement.
I found something simple that works for me and that I believe could work for others as well. Something that makes the ‘clean up’ job enjoyable, simple, and a part of your positive, mental wellbeing. It’s as easy as going for a walk and filling one bag full of rubbish.
What makes it so simple is how it can be worked into any routine that you already have. It’s a matter of going for a walk. Whether on your way back from work, college or school, or indeed if you’re just heading out for some fresh air. Perhaps you have a dog that needs walking. Or, as is worth remembering, you need to utilize a walk for the good of your mental health. Finally, it’s a no-brainer that walking is good for the body and mind too…
Whatever your motive - you can benefit from what I call ‘Just One Bag’ (#justonebag). Just take a single carrier bag out on your walk with you and try your best to fill it. It won’t take long (there’s a lot of junk out there).
You don’t need to bust your balls cleaning up an entire beach when you can just bring an empty carrier bag on a walk with you and throw the full carrier bag in the bin at the end.
If done frequently, imagine how much could have been effortlessly cleared in just a few weeks. You can adapt it perfectly around your own needs and well being!
Hopefully, a regular jaunt can bring you great wellness and satisfaction.
If you want to get involved in a large scale clean up then please don’t hold back - it’ll make you feel great and you just might just earn a halo for trying.
Otherwise, you know what you can do:
Take a walk
Take a bag
Take a litter picker (or gloves for the icky stuff)
Take a sharp pair of eyes (or your glasses)
Take action!
Whether you’re motivated to get out there for your own well being or to fight on the side of clean planet earth - why not combine the two? I speak from experience when I say that they accentuate one another.
It’s like a treasure hunt (more accurately ‘a junk hunt’). By filling one bag you’ll have made your walk (already a service to yourself) feel better, mean more, serve a purpose, and dare I say, you’ll make it a little more enjoyable too.
My efforts
Forever learning and evolving, there are a few things I now practice in an attempt to reduce my burden upon this planet. Plastics are a key one. I try, as I suggest, to do what I realistically can. That’s what inspired this article.
I’ve noticed that the efforts I make have become fantastically normal.
I enjoy walking out of a supermarket having bought as little plastic as possible. I smile as I walk the street with my one bag of litter (often others smile too) and I’m satisfied by the fact that very little useful plastics go to waste in my household.
It doesn’t feel hard, boring, different or tiresome. In fact, the opposite! It motivates me to do more and feel good about what I do.
So, I thought to myself, why not tell the people what they surely already know. Tell them how easy it can be. Tell them that there’s bound to be something in it for them.
I think we can all agree that a world full of plastic is a tragic world in which to live.
I’m not perfect. I don’t pretend to be. And if I were ‘plastic-free’ I’d still fall far short of the mark. But the fact is there’s a great deal I can do to help the situation without changing much at all. There’s a great deal we can all do.
If you think that you could manage ‘plastic-free’ then you’re super and I wish you the best of luck! I’ve been a ‘minimal waste’ enthusiast for some time now and I’m still far from plastic-free. That goal has been made damn near impossible for anyone who isn’t willing to live their entire life beneath a fruit tree.
If we can remain eager to learn, eager to adapt, and eager to help, then I believe we can make this change. Together. Or are you waiting to hear that it’s too late?
