If you haven't yet checked out this post and guessed what my latest project is about, then you may want to take a peek! There's some useful info there about why one-use, not-so-disposable plastics are BAD NEWS for us, our 'food', animals and the environment. I also talked about it a little over on Instagram last week. Don't worry, it's not all doom and gloom. There's so much room for change that we're swimming in it, as much as we are literally, swimming. in. it. Here are 5 things that we need to stop buying and why!
Plastic toothbrushes
Every year, 8 million tons of plastic end up in the sea, one of the main unnecessary polluters being plastic toothbrushes. I will get to why plastic in the ocean is worse than you think in a mo, but hear me out! I've been using a bio-degradable, natural bamboo toothbrush from From Earth To Earth* for about a month now and it's 100%, just as good as a synthetic one (if not better).
It's anti-fungal, anti-microbal so no nasties in your mouth and you can choose what colour and type of bristles suit you! One more bamboo toothbrush replacing a plastic one means one less hunk of plastic in the sea. Plastic photodegrades into tiny pieces which are then mistaken by fish and turtles for food, which they then eat, who we then eat. The amount of plastic in the ocean has entered the 'human food chain' and it a public health hazard. If you eat fish regularly, chances are you've ingested tiny parts of someone else's toothbrush before. Go bamboo!
Plastic Waterbottles
Another everyday item that's so easy to grab on the go, but unfortunately wreaking havoc on our precious ocean eco-systems. Bottle caps especially, wash up on shores of beaches and are eaten by animals even 50 years after they've been discarded into your kitchen bin.
The only way to really stop this from happening is to spend the money that you would weekly on water, on ONE stainless steel waterbottle and refill that as you go. Tap water is actually no better or worse for you in the majority of the UK than processed water, and if you're really concerned it's easy to distill your water at home. You're also going to save so much money by doing this!
(also, if you bring your own travel mug to a coffee shop instead of a take-away one, they may give you a discount. Plastic tops of take-away cups are a big polluter too)
The only way to really stop this from happening is to spend the money that you would weekly on water, on ONE stainless steel waterbottle and refill that as you go. Tap water is actually no better or worse for you in the majority of the UK than processed water, and if you're really concerned it's easy to distill your water at home. You're also going to save so much money by doing this!
(also, if you bring your own travel mug to a coffee shop instead of a take-away one, they may give you a discount. Plastic tops of take-away cups are a big polluter too)
Everyday things that don't need to be plastic
I'm looking at you paintbrushes! Not to mention other things like those curly plastic hair ties, hair clips, lighters (a major polluter), food packaging, DVD's, CD's, straws, accessories, the list goes on. Food packaging is hugely wasteful. How often do you see an item like grapefruit, or apples that are popped into a polystyrene tray then plastic wrapped? All the freakin' time! Shop loose, shop local whenever possible are rules I try to live by.
Even reusing one Tuppaware a week is better than buying a new plastic box of salad every day at lunch! I dream of a world where every apple is as loose as my Sunday pants. (p.s, for extra eco-points, buy your music and movies online. Discs are made from plastic and it's 2017, we don't need them).
Bags, bags, bags
If you're still getting plastic bags every time you go to the supermarket, where have you been for the last year? How many 5p's have you spent on those things? Poor turtles are out there in the sea mistaking bags for jellyfish, their favourite food and dying because you couldn't be bothered to bring a backpack (which is easier to carry, lets at least admit that).
Try to grab a couple of tote bags or a backpack before you head to the shop to save time, money, turtles, and yourself from picking your groceries up from the carpark floor.
Try to grab a couple of tote bags or a backpack before you head to the shop to save time, money, turtles, and yourself from picking your groceries up from the carpark floor.
Straws
I did mention these briefly in the 'everyday things' section but they deserve a slot of their own, as over the last 25 years, 6 MILLION straws have been pulled from the ocean (and turtles noses, don't watch if you're squeamish). These are just the straws that some amazing people could salvage. You can buy metal straws cheaply online that are reusable and completely recyclable! You can now keep your lipstick and the Earth in tact at the same time!
_______________________________________________________________________
Those are the main things I could think of for now, and the easiest ones to replace in your daily life. Please, please, now that you know about this, don't ignore it and go about daily life without a second thought. It's not hard to do a little everyday or change something that you use and if everyone did this, we'd be coming in leaps and bounds towards a more sustainable, clean future.
For some cool (yet gross) info about a place called the Great Pacific Garbage patch, check out this documentary.
No comments
Post a Comment