One of the most contaminated places on the planet is a tiny island paradise in the southern Pacific Ocean called Henderson. There you can see incredible sunsets, starry skies and 17 tons of plastic waste that invade the white sandy beaches and turquoise waters.
Plastic pollution is immense. And almost all of it is due to our buying and consuming habits.
Small changes lead to great things. Here are 5 simple ways to avoid plastic:
Plastic doesn't disappear. It only degrades into small parts that remain in nature for centuries. If you avoid doing all your shopping in large supermarkets, you will automatically reduce your plastic consumption. Almost all the produce comes in bags.
Buy from neighbourhood shops and farmers' markets. You can bring a shopping cart, cloth bags or containers so that you can buy, preferably in bulk.
One way to buy food better is to buy less and more often. Take a good look at what you have in your kitchen before you buy. If you shop at markets, processed foods will disappear from your kitchen. And with them will go the plastics and quite a few health hazards.
Store food in glass containers (also for freezing). Use cloth rags instead of kitchen paper and napkins (wrapped in plastic) and water is better in glass bottles than in plastic bottles.
Every minute in the world, one million plastic bottles and 40,000 coffee capsules are consumed.
If you can, buy the detergent in bulk or make it at home with vinegar. There are many tutorials on Youtube or Instagram. Wash only what you need and avoid long washings.
You have many options for using personal care items that are completely free of plastic.
Hard bristled brushes, coffee or salt instead of exfoliating gel; soap bars instead of gel; shampoo in litres, solid shampoo bars; apple or lemon vinegar instead of fabric softener. With all these products you can stop using kilos of plastic throughout the year.
After all, a 100% life without plastic is impossible. Think about medicine, sportswear, credit cards, condoms, mobile devices and phones. And we can't live without them! What you can do is choose more sustainable options and recycle correctly.
Above all, don’t be too hard on yourself. After all, 100 people trying to be more eco conscious is better than just 1 perfectly eco friendly person.