Humans produce a jaw-dropping amount of plastic waste
Plastic is all around us and lots of people say we can’t live without it, but they’re wrong! With a little planning and some ingenuity, we can each drastically reduce the amount of plastic we use and throw away. Here’s how to get started.
1. Don’t try to go cold turkey. You’ll be overwhelmed and probably give up. Instead, take a ‘phase-out’ approach.
2. Tackle the biggest, most stupid source first: plastic packaging. Around 35 percent of individual plastic consumption comes from insane packaging like this.
Even worse, 80 percent of this plastic packaging is used just once before heading to the landfill.
3. The first and easiest step toward a plastic-free life is: Refuse it!
Start with the not-really-necessary stuff we’re offered on a daily basis, like coffee lids, straws in drinks, to-go containers, plastic cutlery, and those bags they put on your dry cleaning.
4. Stop buying bottled water. And using plastic grocery bags. They are 100% unnecessary. More on replacements for both of these later.
