So now that you’ve mastered the art of sucking responsibly, you might be thinking to yourself: Huh, this reusable stuff is pretty darn easy. I wonder how else I can reduce my plastic consumption? Great question. To make a really meaningful dent in plastic pollution, we’ve really gotta clean up our acts. Don’t worry, we got you. Here are some tips.
-
Keep a reusable spoon, fork, or spork (if that’s your thing) in your car or at your office (or both). That way you won’t have to resort to the supply room plastics when eating your leftover lentil soup.
-
Stash reusable grocery bags in your car, your office, your backpack, and unicorn saddle bags. And if you forgot your bags, suck it up and carry that sh*t.
-
Be a good recycler. Only 9 percent of recyclable plastics actually get recycled. Look up what your local waste center accepts. You may be surprised that a lot of things you throw away in the recycling bin are actually NOT recyclable. Like ziploc bags. Because they are made from two different types of plastic, WTF?!
-
Buycott Plastic Water! Always use a reusable bottle for water fill-ups. There’s a handy dandy app called Tap that can show you where you’ll find the closest water oasis. Check it out!
-
Reuse stuff. Yogurt containers make great tupperware for that second half of a burrito you can’t finish. Cut up some old t-shirts to make rags. BOOM! Just saved you some $$. You’re welcome.
-
Plastic wrap does not get recycled. Try a beeswax wrap as a reusable alternative.
-
Use refillable shampoo, conditioner, and body wash bottles. Check out Plaine Products, which provides packaging so you can send in your bottles when you’re ready for more.
See? It’s really not that hard. We have more alternatives than ever to eliminate single-use plastics from our lives and make a real and meaningful impact on plastic pollution.
Add BITE toothpaste alternative to your list. They are charcoal minty bites that come in a recyclable cardboard box with a refillable bottle and four months supply. No more plastic tubes.
Clio Thorpe on
Yes regular plastic bags, plastic wrap, zip loc bags, bubble wrap, plastic air filled bags for shipping water bottle plastic wrap, and such cannot be recycled in your home bin, BUT they can be brought to grocery stores and recycled as long as they are clean. Most grocery stores have a bin up front to toss them in. I learned that at a local grocery store. As well, check your local areas for styrofoam recycle, they are out there but its specialzed. Another helpful hint is check out Earth911 to see what items can be recycled and where. Thats how I found out where to recycle my styrofoam. Another tool is Terracycle which has options to recycle a large amount of stuff from toothpaste containers, to capri sun packs and clif bar packaging. Helpful hint for batteries, try to buy rechargable batteries instead of one time use. Tires are another thing that is specialzed recycling. The list goes on and on of things that can actually be recycled. Just like Final Straw says, be smart and actually take the time to look and do your part.
Jonathan Masiero on
Love the straw and have convinced some of my friends to try one. I have even had people come up to me in restaurants and ask about the straw. I always ask every restaurant I frequent to get rid of the plastic straws and other plastics they could do without.
David Mead on
I’ve gone as close to low waste with my beauty routine. I use naked products like a shampoo bar. Plus my stuff that comes in containers come in recyclable containers that have been reduced by 10%.
Alex on