Synthetic plastic has become so ingrained in the day-to-day lives of most consumers that they don't even notice the volume of plastic waste they are producing.
A lot of the plastic in production today is designed to be used once and then thrown away. These disposable plastics are designed solely with convenience in mind. Unfortunately, consumers don't give much thought to the end of the life cycle of a single-use plastic product.
An estimated 79% of the world's plastic is housed in landfills and the natural environment. Statistics also show that only 9% of all the plastic that has ever been produced has been recycled.
Making efforts to reduce your reliance on single-use plastics combined with a comprehensive recycling program can help reduce the volume of plastic waste adversely affecting the environment in the future. Here are three tips that you can use to lower your daily plastic usage.
1. Avoid Problem Products
One of the easiest ways that you can reduce your reliance on plastic and help alleviate some of the pressure placed on recycling resources in your community is to avoid the plastic products that tend to cause the most long-term problems.
Two of the top offenders include plastic water bottles and plastic bags. The synthetic polymers used to manufacture plastic water bottles and bags fragment into tiny microplastics as they degrade. These microplastics find their way into waterways and become embedded in the soil. Microplastics then end up in the food and water that human beings consume on a regular basis.
Doing something as simple as using a refillable bottle for your water and bringing reusable bags to the grocery store can significantly lower your plastic consumption and improve your recycling efforts in the future.
2. Conduct a Waste Audit
Evaluating the contents of your trash may not be the most exciting activity, but it's one that is very helpful when you are trying to maximize your recycling efforts. A waste audit allows you to identify the types of materials you are discarding on a daily basis.
You can categorize your waste to help better identify how many single-use plastic products you are tossing out each day. Most people find that the results of a waste audit are enlightening. Knowing how much of a particular type of plastic you discard allows you to formulate a targeted strategy to reduce your reliance on single-use plastics in the future.
3. Use Eco-Friendly Products
Many people think that reducing their reliance on plastic means giving up some of the products they love most. This simply isn't true. You can still purchase the consumer goods that you enjoy, you just need to identify eco-friendly alternatives. Most popular consumer products will have an eco-friendly counterpart.
Instead of using disposable diapers for your young ones, opt for cloth diapers. Don't buy your cereal in boxes that contain plastic bags. Instead, purchase your cereals from bulk bins and use refillable containers. Bring along your own silverware and drink cup to replace plastic or Styrofoam versions when dining out at your favorite fast-food restaurant.
Being committed to using eco-friendly versions of the items that you have come to rely on can be a simple way to reduce your reliance on plastic products over time.
All good recycling programs will encourage a reduction in the consumption of plastic goods. Simple changes to your daily routine can be effective in reducing the number of single-use plastic products you consume each day.
Reducing your plastic consumption can free up valuable resources for the recycling of other materials. It will also help reduce the negative impact single-use plastics have on the environment. Reach out to a professional for more recycling solutions.
Share11 October 2021
After we made a commitment to focus on the environment as a family, we decided that it might make sense to start recycling. We focused carefully on sorting our plastic, metal, and paper, and we were able to completely overhaul how much trash we threw away. Within a few days, we were able to see a reduction in our amount of normal garbage accumulation, and an increase in the amount of materials we were sending in for recycling. It was great to teach our kids what they needed to know to protect the environment. This blog is all about learning how to recycle more effectively.
