Living a More Sustainable Life

Sustainable living is something that has been on the minds of many these days. As a society, we are becoming increasingly aware of the impact of our everyday habits. Everything from our shopping bags to straws to storage containers has a detrimental effect on the environment.

When plastic products first hit the market, they were renowned for their affordability, durability, and convenience. However, now that we understand how bad plastic is for the environment, many organizations and individuals are making an effort to go plastic-free! Or at least cut down on the amount of plastic they use.

 

Let’s talk about why plastic is so bad for the environment and how you can take steps toward living a more sustainable life.

 

The Plastic Waste Crisis

We are currently living in a plastic waste crisis. What does this mean? It means that our oceans, forests, and local communities are becoming overrun with plastic waste. In 2009, this report clearly communicated the effects. Here is a list taken from that report:

 

• Chemicals added to plastics are absorbed by human bodies. Some of these compounds have been found to alter hormones or have other potential human health effects.
• Plastic debris, laced with chemicals and often ingested by marine animals, can injure or poison wildlife.
• Floating plastic waste, which can survive for thousands of years in water, serves as mini transportation devices for invasive species, disrupting habitats.
• Plastic buried deep in landfills can leach harmful chemicals that spread into groundwater.
• Around 4 percent of world oil production is used as a feedstock to make plastics, and a similar amount is consumed as energy in the process.

 

Furthermore, because plastic takes hundreds of years to break down, the ecosystems that are affected will only continue to suffer if changes aren’t made.

 

"Plastics are very long-lived products that could potentially have service over decades, and yet our main use of these lightweight, inexpensive materials are as single-use items that will go to the garbage dump within a year, where they'll persist for centuries," Richard Thompson, lead editor of the report, said.

 

Luckily, hope isn’t lost! There are simple things that the everyday consumer can do to help combat the global plastic waste crisis.

 

Here are some simple, actionable ways you can help reduce the amount of plastic in the environment:

Photo by Bluewater Sweden on Unsplash

 

• Participate in an environmental clean-up event (or host your own!)
• Purchase plastic-free products.
• Reuse plastic products as much as you can.
• Eliminate single-use plastic products from your household (shopping bags, food storage bags, straws, cups, forks, water bottles, etc.
• Bring reusable grocery bags to the store when you go shopping.
• Buy reusable water bottles for everyone in your family.
• Consider buying food items like dried beans, pasta, baking ingredients, dried fruit, and nuts in bulk – some grocery stores will allow you to bring your own container, fill it with what you need, and pay for only the amount you’re taking home. This can help save money, too!

 

Nonplastic is dedicated to providing you with high-quality products that you can feel great about using. We never use plastic in our manufacturing process and many of our items are compostable! Shop now.