Eliminating Single Use Plastics
Humans are intertwined with plastic. Our food is packaged in plastic, we rely on plastic as a means to keep items fresh and contained, plastic runs in our clothes and necessities. Plastic even runs in our food system — taking on the form of microplastics. One walk around a grocery store and you will find yourself surrounded by plastic. We have only begun to rely on plastic in the past few years as the economy has pushed us into a corner of ‘constant consuming’ as a means of greater profit. The truth is: plastic is far from a necessity as food, water, and shelter are. Plastics were only created as a material to “protect our natural world from the destructive forces of human need” as stated in The History and Future of Plastics. We have created a material that has only done more harm than the good it was supposed to do. Science has constantly pointed to our reliance on plastic severely damaging our environment through carbon emissions and the swarming of plastic in our oceans that will not decompose for hundreds of years. Now, you may be wondering, how can we break from this systemic control plastic has on our lives?
Breaking from something we have relied on for years will not be easy, especially with many big corporations and government’s not taking the necessary actions. However, humans are able to adapt and change, as it has been conveyed time and time again in our history. In the 1900’s, milk used to be put in glass bottles, but nowadays they are sold in plastic jugs. We once did not rely on plastics, and it is not too late to return to that ideal. For example, instead of buying olive oil in a plastic jug that is very hard to recycle, swap it out for olive oil that comes in glass bottles that can be recycled endlessly. The fact of the matter is that refusing single use plastics is up to how far humans are willing to go for their environment — all in order to spark change in our manufatcuraing and packaging.
Single use plastics are defined as “disposable plastics used only once before they are thrown away or recycled.” Think of plastic straws, water bottles, produce bags. Many of those things, as one would think, could be recycable. However, almost none of our recycling ever gets recycled and is instead dumped into landfills where it will spend hundreds of years. Likewise, some plastics cannot even be recycled meaning that, in all, we are flooding our lands with materials that could be used again, right? No, because whereas glass and aluminum can be recycled endlessly (mostly because of the profit made off of those materials), plastic can only be recycled a few times before it is deemed worthless. This may seem disheartening to many, but I will provide some tips to lessen your plastic waste — especially single use plastic waste.
Try to lean towards materials packaged in cardboard, glass, and aluminum instead of plastic:
As stated previously, those materials are more likely to be recycled than plastic. Switching to cardboard, glass, and aluminum will lead to less trash in our environment and a more sustainable recycling regime.
Use something reusable instead of a plastic:
This could be anything from using your own cup and straw, bringing your own containers to put leftovers in when out to eat, or using reusable shopping and produce bags. These plastics do not leave our earth for years and they only continue to contaminate our planet and the animals on it. By switching to reusables, one can guarantee they will be keeping single use plastics out of our landfills.
If possible, try making DIY beauty and cleaning products instead of buying ones in plastic:
Making beauty products and cleaning products homemade is great because not only are you not using plastic, but it also guarantees you know exactly what is going into your products. There’s also shampoo/conditoner bars and soap bars which can be package free or packaged in cardboard.
If possible, switch out those paper towels, plates, and tissues:
These are often only used once and never thought of again. Buying more cloth napkins, dishes, and reusable hankies are an environmentally friendly option that will result in a more single use plastic free environment.
For women, think about switching to reusable feminine products or a menstrual cup:
Feminine products are single use and end up in landfills. Switching to something that can be reused for a prolonged period of time is ideal as it will lead to less waste in your lives.
I understand some of these may not be attainable for some, but it is all about what one can do to strike a systemic change. By refusing single use plastics in any way we are stating that we want to lean away from plastics and move in a more sustainable direction.
For more information on single use plastics and the beginning and future of plastics, I recommend watching Rebecca Altman’s “The Legacy of Plastic.” This is a very empowering TED Talk on our reliance on plastics, but our ability to change and create a better future for the generations to come.
This post was created by an amazing GREEN ZINE volunteer contributor, and opinions expressed may not represent the views of Greenpeace. If you are interested in volunteering as a GREEN ZINE contributor, visit this link.
