Say NO to Single Use Plastics

Does the idea of going to the beach only to find washed up plastic forks and plates sound appealing?  You don’t have to look far to see this impact.  From India to Brazil, our oceans are becoming increasingly polluted.

There is only one thing that I ask each of you reading this blog to do: Avoid using single use plastics.  This means things like non-recyclable coffee cups, plastic water bottles, plastic utensils, plastic straws and plastic bags.  There are reusable alternatives and if everyone started to use these instead of the disposable options, our planet and wildlife would be dramatically improved. The impact of single use plastics on our environment is devastating and only the most heartless would not be moved by stories showing their impact.  Ocean animals believe plastics floating in the water to be food.  Turtles were found unable to breath because they had ingested straws and plastic utensils:

Turtle that became the anti plastic straw poster child

The BBC aired an excellent series called Blue Planet II showing the devastation that plastic can do to our wildlife and oceans(see link here: Protect our oceans from deadly plastic).  If there is anything that should motivate you to consume less plastic, it is this series.  This moving documentary incited the BBC to ban the use of plastic cups and utensils by 2020.  The British government is looking to ban single use plastics but only by 2042.   This is much too far away.  We cannot wait for government bans to take action.  Each and every one of us can do our part to help.

Everyone thinks that this is someone else’s problem and that we don’t need to do anything.  The simple gesture of bringing your own container to purchase drinks,  bring home leftover food and bringing your own utensils to avoid the use of plastic ones will have a great benefit to our planet.  Straws?  If you absolutely insist on having straws, please use reusable stainless steel or glass straws.   These are now readily available on line .

Please be aware that in many cases, the single use bags from the grocery store (or bulk store) cannot be recycled and end in landfill or worse, in our oceans.  To avoid the use of those thin plastic bags at the grocery store, we use reusable mesh bags for our fruits and vegetables:

Actually, I often just put the fruits and vegetables loose in a reusable fabric bag.  These simple gestures reduce the amount of plastic that goes into our waste.  I encourage each of you to think about adopting some of actions.

My daughters have purchased reusable coffee and drink cups.  They use these:

While I am not a fan of the plastic straw (sigh), at least it is reusable and prevents multiple single use straws from going into garbage.

If you have any other tips to share to avoid single use plastics, please do so in the comments below.  I thank you in advance for each and every single thing that you do to reduce your use and consumption of single use plastics.

Challenge for the Week:  Do not accept or use any disposable plastic items.  Say no to plastic water bottles.  You can take a reusable cup for your coffee or drinks or you can use a reusable container for your takeout food.  Don’t forget to bring reusable bags with you to avoid using plastic bags!