Dec
2
2023
Practical tips to reduce plastic waste
Author: firmvoic1 – Quite simply, say no to plastics
This involves learning to refuse plastic things that you don’t need. Whether it’s a pen, straw, toothbrush or personalized plastic bag from a store or other free plastic items that stores give you, know that they are only used to attract consumers. Most of the time, we don’t think twice before accepting them. However, every time we accept these items, we create demand to manufacture more.2 – Buy in bulk
When you go shopping, consider choosing to buy groceries and other essential products in bulk, so you will need less dumpster rental services to discard your junk in the future. In case you can’t do this at your local store, find other suppliers. If you do not want to change supplier, other alternatives exist. For example, you can bring your own jar to the ice cream parlor, your own bag to the bakery or bring your own bottles to the cellar or brewery.3 – Replace disposable products with reusable products
To reduce plastic waste, you should use reusable products, rather than disposable plastic items. Indeed, reuse saves more time and money, but also saves the energy and resources necessary to manufacture more disposable items. To do this, bring your own tote bags to the grocery store. Use old glass jars to buy anything wet like oil, sauces, shampoo and liquid soap. Put anything dry like cereal, sugar, flour or salt in a cloth bag. When you go out to eat, you can also bring your own utensils instead of using disposable plastic utensils.4 – Think about recycling
It’s not about prioritizing recycling, but rather about preventing unnecessary items from entering your life. Indeed, you should know that the plastics found in recycling units are not really “recycled”, but rather “downcycled”, that is to say, they lose their value when they are recycled. However, other materials such as glass, aluminum and paper can be recycled endlessly without their quality degrading. For this reason, it is advisable to only recycle what you cannot refuse, reduce or reuse. What you must remember: to summarize, there are simple ways to reduce the use of plastic in your daily life. Here are some best practices:- Instead of using plastic containers, opt for reusable glass or stainless steel packaging
- When ordering takeout, remember to ask the restaurant not to send you plastic cutlery or straws
- Choose bulk products like bars of soap and shampoo instead of buying their liquid equivalents in plastic bottles
- When purchasing items online, consider asking the seller to ship them together in boxes. You can also choose to only buy from sites that use recyclable materials