It’s easy to throw a yogurt container or takeout cup in the recycle bin and forget about it, but the reality is that plastic waste doesn’t just magically disappear. Here are 5 Ways to Reduce Plastic Usage for Earth Day to help you understand why.
5 Ways to Reduce Plastic Usage for Earth Day
Manufacturing new plastic takes lots of resources, and often the contents of our recycling bins end up in landfills despite our efforts. In honor of Earth Day every April, here are five ways I’m challenging you to reduce plastic usage:
Related: Tips for Reducing Plastic Use in Your Home(Opens in a new browser tab)
- Plastic sandwich bags: Do you recall the last time you went to the beach and saw sandwich bags on the shoreline? Sadly, by 2050 the ocean will contain more plastic by weight than fish. The good news is reusable storage bags are just as convenient as their single-use counterparts — without plastic waste.
- Disposable coffee cups: For me, takeout coffee is a special treat — but I feel guilty when I think of the 16 billion disposable coffee cups that get thrown away every year. At first, I was nervous about bringing my cup to the coffee shop, but my barista was great about it and even gave me a 10¢ discount! Try it.
- Single-use straws: Americans use 500 million plastic straws EVERY DAY. That’s enough to circle the Earth twice! Straws are such an easy plastic source to eliminate since they’re usually not necessary in the first place.
- Plastic bottles of cleaner: Let’s face it, those giant bottles of window and tile cleaner are not only wasteful, but they’re also ugly! Glass spray bottles filled with cleaning concentrates reduce your plastic consumption and look beautiful on your countertops, too. Swap your old plastic cleaning bottles for reusable glass bottles.
- Product packaging: It might not seem like much, but the plastic wrappers that our products come in can add up to a considerable amount of waste. For example, paper towels almost always come wrapped in plastic. One way to avoid this waste is by reaching for microfibers or euro dishcloths instead of single-use paper towels.
Related: How to Easily Reduce Your Family’s Food Waste(Opens in a new browser tab)
Reduce Plastic Usage Because of Plastic Crisis
There’s no doubt we’re facing a plastic crisis, but the good news is that we can all make a big difference just by making a few simple swaps.
Don’t get me wrong here, I’m glad you recycle plastic, but I’m 100% positive that these ways to reduce plastic usage for Earth Day or any day are a better solution for us all. It’s just better to avoid single-use plastic in the first place. Let’s not only do this for Earth Day, let’s do this every day!
The Challenge is on!
Thank you for sharing the post! Love these ideas.