Ditch Plastic Now!
Help Keep our Planet and the Oceans Looking as Beautiful as this.
Finding Alternatives to Plastic.
Next time you are thinking of buying something made of plastic take a little extra time looking for a non-plastic alternative.
Cut Down on Plastic and Recycle More.
We all need to cut down on the amount of plastic we use and to recycle the plastic stuff we just can't do without. I don't think there can be many people who would argue with that. Single-use plastic has become a huge problem in recent years often ending up in a landfill or dumped into the once pristine oceans. The planet is quite literally drowning under a sea of discarded plastic, but what can we do to improve the situation?
1.) Reject excessive plastic wrapping in shops. Fruit and vegetables can easily be bought loose and placed in paper bags, it can work out cheaper to buy them in this way too. An added bonus.
2.) Look for alternatives. Lots of household items made from plastic have more eco-friendly versions. Wooden handled hairbrushes, metal waste bins, toothbrushes. We recently switched to bamboo toothbrushes with hair bristles, they look great and work just as well as plastic. Next time you buy something new, check out the alternatives before grabbing the plastic one.
3.) Replace plastic carrier bags with cotton, jute or hessian reusable ones. They are very strong and look great.
4.) Check for hidden plastic. Many face wipes and baby wipes contain plastic but there are some on the market that don't so look out for them.
5.) Think about using refillable bottles for shampoo, shower gel etc. Many health food shops now contain refilling stations.
6.) Replace all of your waste bin bags with biodegradable ones, there are plenty on the market.
7.) Write to your local supermarket and ask them if they can help by cutting down on the excessive plastic packaging.
8.) Make sure you recycle every single bit of plastic you can.
9.) Say no to plastic straws. At home, you can use paper or even glass straws, better yet no straw. When in bars or restaurants just tell your server you don't need a straw.
Small Changes Make a Big Difference.
Swap plastic bags for hessian.
| Reject excessive plastic packaging.
| Reject items with hidden plastic.
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Always look for alternatives.
| Use refillable containers.
| Recycle as much as possible.
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Use biodegradable bin bags.
| Say no to plastic straws.
| Write to your local supermarket and ask them to do more.
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Recycle as Much Plastic as Possible.
Please take the time to fill in this short poll, thankyou.
Do you recycle?
Not Biodegradable.
The vast majority of plastic doesn't biodegrade, it just slowly breaks down into smaller and smaller fragments, but it is still plastic - that never changes. Plastic in the world's oceans kills or poisons countless fish and shellfish, many of which end up in the human food chain. All of those poisons and toxins end up in us, we are quite literally killing ourselves along with the planet.
Recycling is the only way forward if we want to stop all of the terrible waste and the pollution. It might not ever be possible to eliminate all of the plastic from our lives but with care, we should be able to cut down the amount we use.
Plastic Will Always be Plastic.
The vast majority of plastic doesn't biodegrade, it just slowly breaks down into smaller and smaller fragments, but it is still plastic - that never changes.
The Largest Landfill Site on the Planet
The largest rubbish dump on the planet isn't even a landfill site, it is actually situated in the open ocean. It consists of mostly plastic waste and goes by the name The Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Twice the size of Texas, it floats between California and the beautiful islands of Hawaii. Plastic makes up over ninety percent of the rubbish floating around polluting our oceans.
If we all recycle just ten percent of the plastic that we would normally throw away and cut down a further ten percent, think what a huge difference it would make to this beautiful planet.
A Beautiful Planet.
A word about Ecobricks.
If after all your efforts you still have some plastic wrapping left over why not check out Ecobricks. https://www.ecobricks.org/
Basically, you save a few plastic bottles and fill them with your leftover soft plastic. I have tried this and it is easy to do at the same time as watching tv. You do need to be tough with the plastic as you stuff your bottle. My first attempt didn't make the weight but I use it as a decoration and reminder of how not to do it. When you have a few bricks you can either drop them off at a local collection point or use them in your own home or garden. We are collecting some from friends and family to build a garden feature.
Remember The Hidden Plastic.
Remember to keep an eye out for hidden plastic, it is really surprising just how many things are made of the stuff. Even in simple things like tea bags, plastic is everywhere. Use loose leaf tea and that problem is solved, the leftover tea leaves make great compost for your garden.
In Conclusion.
Earth is a beautiful planet, it's also the only planet we have found so far that is capable of supporting life. Let's all make sure it stays beautiful for generations to come. We are all responsible, we can make a difference as individuals. Each piece of plastic we don't buy, each plastic bag we reject, each plastic bottle we recycle WILL make a difference. You can make a difference.
© 2012 Galaxy Harvey
