Reducing plastic use
wherever possible is so important to our environment. Plastic not only uses so
much energy during production, but afterwards makes its way to the nearest
landfill and ends up later making its way to the oceans, which then pollutes
the ocean and animal life has to suffer and pay the price. Plastic can take
hundreds and sometimes thousands of years to degrade, so a plastic bottle you
use today will stick around and outlive you, your child, your grandchild, your
great-grandchild, and so on. The production of plastic is also such a big waste
because most of the plastic we use is only used once before it is thrown away.
Examples are plastic grocery bags, plastic water bottles, plastic soda bottles,
plastic packaging for food, etc.
For a little while I
had been thinking about reducing my plastic waste but didn’t really know where
to start. So while I was on maternity leave and had some free time on my hands, I would
watch documentaries on YouTube and do some reading up online about why reducing
our plastic waste is so important and the ways to do it. This year I finally
started taking action and over the past four months there have been many ways
and areas in my life that I have not only reduced my plastic use (which I will talk about in another post), but have completely
eliminated it (which is what today's post is about). So I now present the five ways I have eliminated my plastic use.
Reusable Shopping Bags
When thinking of all
the areas in my life that I can reduce my plastic use, it had never occurred to
me before just how much plastic I had actually been using in my day to day
life. Plastic grocery bags was one of the biggest areas in my life contributing
to plastic waste, so I knew that had to be the first step. I ordered this
reusable shopping bag online at Vegan Supply CO and I love it! On it it says
“Eat fruit, not animals”. I’m not only helping the environment by not using a
plastic bag, but I’m also spreading the vegan message while shopping for my groceries.
As of now I only have one reusable shopping bag, so whenever I need to use more
bags, I use paper bags and I will reuse those until they rip or get wet and
fall apart from produce or frozen items.
Cloth Produce Bags
The next thing I had
done to cut plastic out of my life was cloth produce bags. I ordered the Earthwise Reusable Produce Bags on
Amazon and use them every time I buy produce or bulk items such as beans, oats,
and nuts. They’re also a lot stronger and can hold more than those thin produce
bags they have provided for you at the store that rip and tear easily. And when
the cloth produce bags gets dirty or has stains, I’m able to wash and reuse
them forever and ever.
Bring My Own Utensils
When I leave the
house and go places, such as work, I always bring my own utensils. I don’t have
a travel case for them. I just take a sterling silver fork or spoon, throw it
in my bag, use it, take it home, and wash it. This way I am not wasting
single-use plastic. That plastic fork I can get in the deli will only be used
once and stick around for another thousand years. I’d rather avoid that.
Reusable Water Bottle
One thing I always
carry with me is my Swell Insulated Stainless Steel Marble Bottle. I love having my own stylish water bottle
that keeps my drinks cold wherever I go. I like to fill mine with water or homemade
juice, which leads me to my next and last step.
Make My Own Juice
I used to buy those
bottled juices, like Bolthouse, Naked, Odwalla, Suja, etc. that you’ll see in
the produce section. They’re made with simple, natural ingredients and so good
for you, but that’s just the point. The juices I buy anyway are made with 100%
fruits and vegetables so why not just make my own juice at home and fill it with
whatever fruits and vegetables I want. I can even make the same thing as what I
buy from the store and I get to save money and a plastic bottle. I make a large batch of
juice at home with my boyfriend, put it in a large pitcher, and drink it until its gone and time
to make a new one. My favorite juice contains carrots, celery, apples,
pineapple, oranges, kale, and spinach in it.
Like I stated
earlier, there are other things I do to REDUCE my plastic waste, which I will
talk about in another post. These are just the five ways I have actually
ELIMINATED plastic use from my life. Whether you’re reducing or eliminating
plastic use, any step taken, no matter how big or small, will be beneficial to us, the animals, and our planet by saving energy and helping keep our land and oceans clean. What do
you do to reduce your plastic waste? Let me know in the comments! Also be sure
to check out my YouTube channel where
you can also see the video version on this topic.
