How to reduce your plastic consumption

Before we get to the information on how to reduce plastic consumption, it’s important to understand why plastics are a global problem that requires our attention. 

Just to give you some important perspective, the ocean is already polluted with more than 150 million tons of plastic waste and experts are saying that there could be more plastic than fish in the ocean within the next 30 years. 

There is also the fact that plastic can take hundreds of years to decompose and this means it will be releasing harmful chemicals into the soil. This will affect many animal species as well as the delicate balance of the ecosystem.

How to reduce plastic consumption 

Now that you have a basic idea of the many dangers and hazards of plastic, we are going to provide some useful tips to help you reduce its consumption as much as possible.

Stop using straws and plastic utensils

We know it can be tempting to use straws for drinking and many people are used to the straw as the best way to drink. With that said, the more you use this kind of product, the more you are contributing to the damage that we are causing to our planet.

If you feel that straws are very important to you, then we would advise that you reuse each one as many times as possible. You can easily wash a plastic straw and reuse it several times. Keep in mind that the more you reuse plastic, the more you contribute to lowering the production of plastic products.

Get rid of plastic containers

Once again, we know that plastics are extremely practical for many purposes, but we strongly advise that anyone who uses plastic containers could switch so steel or glass containers. They are usually not as cheap as plastic, but they are long-lasting, and they don’t have the environmental damage compared to plastic.

Reuse the plastic that you have

If you have plastic water bottles, you should use them as many times as you can to store anything. The idea is for you to be able to stop buying new plastic and just make use of what you have to avoid buying any new plastic bottles, containers, etc. You can also cut bottles and use them for other storage purposes or to hold any specific liquids, items, etc.

Start buying more bulk

Buying bulk at the supermarket is a good way to avoid buying too many plastic-packaged products. This may not be as practical as buying packaged products, but once you switch to bulk, you will also see the benefits in terms of your economy. 

If your current supermarket or grocery store of choice is not providing bulk products, you should consider going to a different place. Most large chains are offering bulk at this point.

Stop buying chewing gum

Some people are surprised to hear that chewing gum contains plastic, but this is the reason why it feels so chewy and you are not supposed to eat it. When you purchase chewing gum, you are actually harming the environment.

A bonus about buying and consuming no chewing gum is that your stomach and your teeth will thank you in the long run.

Buy clothing bags for your groceries

Stop making use of the plastic bags at are available at the supermarket and start using clothe bags for this purpose. If you do this, you are going to be able to make a difference in terms of helping reduce the production of plastic. 

These types of bags can store a good amount of items, but you can always buy several bags in case you have a large grocery shopping list.

Replace those plastic pegs with wooden pegs

Wooden pegs are undeniable better than plastic for many reasons. Not only is this ideal o reduce plastic consumption, but the plastic pegs are more likely to break after being exposed to the sun for long periods of time.

Wooden pegs are going to be long-lasting, and they are not going to break regardless of how much sun hits them directly.

Raise awareness as often as you can

Doing this is perfectly fine as long as you know how to do it and you avoid sounding like you are trying to force people to adopt a lifestyle change. The best way to handle this is to simply start setting an example and being vocal about the dangers of plastic for the environment.

The efforts of a few people can turn into the efforts of a larger group and it is up to every person to decide if they are ready to stop using plastic as much as possible. Switch to products packaged with optional materials to make n even more substantial difference. 

Bring a thermos everywhere

If you love to have a cup of coffee every day at a local shop, you could start bringing your own thermos and asking the person serving your coffee to please serve it in the thermos instead of using their plastic cups. 

Ditch the disposable razors

Disposable razors are practical, but you can always buy a long term razor that allows you to replace the blades. The investment will be a little more significant, but the long term savings and avoidance of plastic will be quite relevant.

Stop buying cleaners in plastic containers

Cleaning products are purchased quite often in any household, but you can ditch those and start making your own cleaning product with baking soda and vinegar. Store the mix in a glass bottle for optimal results in terms of plastic consumption reduction. 

Use a skip to collect waste

The habit of lowering your plastic consumption should always come with the use of a good disposal strategy. Using Skip Hire in Bradford is a perfect way to do this as it will allow you to efficiently get rid of waste.

Final thoughts 

Many of these tips may feel like your efforts are not going to be worth the hassles because it seems like your contribution is too small to make a difference.

This is the reason why it’s so important to raise awareness in the value of reducing plastic consumption. The larger the number of people who do this, the more impactful the reduction of plastic production will be all over the world.