The number of people participating in zero-waste or plastic-free environmental challenges is growing rapidly. The goal is to reduce the amount of plastic we use and throw away by eliminating single-use plastic from our daily lives.
If you'd like to join the movement to reduce single-use plastics, you can do so at any time. However, Plastic-Free July and its associated educational initiatives will certainly make it easier to implement a less waste approach into your daily life.
First, sit down and examine your habits. Do you drink bottled or tap water? Do you always come home from shopping with another bag, or do you pack your groceries in bags you brought yourself? Do you pay attention to the packaging of the cosmetics you buy? Consider what you can change to make your daily purchasing decisions more environmentally friendly.
Second, find alternatives to every single-use item you use regularly.
Third, keep reusable items on hand so you don't forget them when it's time to shop again.
Fourth, make sure everyone in your household feels the same way and wants to join the challenge. Having your family on your side makes it much easier to build new, more eco-friendly habits.
A Brief History of Plastic
We live in a world where plastic is ubiquitous. We use it in our daily lives. It has become a fundamental material in many industries. Scientists agree: we live in the Age of Plastic.
The first plastic was created by Alexander Parkes in 1855 and was called Parkesine. It was made from cellulose fibers, nitric acid, and camphor. The material wasn't strong enough to be used as a commercial product, but it paved the way for future developments in plastics.
In 1907, Leo Baekeland invented the first fully synthetic plastic called Bakelite, which had many advantages over other plastics of the time, such as being more durable, heat-resistant, and cheaper to produce.
Why has plastic gained such popularity? Previously, natural raw materials such as wood, plant fibers, bone, and animal skins were associated with high production costs. However, the invention of plastic paved the way for the mass and affordable production of goods in various industries.
The discovery of plastics has enabled the development of many areas of life and science. Transport, media, electronics, medicine, and the fashion industry, among others, have benefited. Thanks to plastic packaging, food has become more durable. Plastics have also contributed to reducing social inequality, as their supply has allowed less affluent segments of society to purchase more goods.
Opponents of plastic see it as the main culprit in the ongoing degradation of the natural environment. However, the impact of plastic on our lives is not unequivocally negative. It has contributed significantly to the enormous progress humanity has made over the last 100 years. This doesn't change the fact that over the past decades, our economy has become dependent on plastic, leading us to recklessly manage it, leading to a situation where plastic production could cover the entire surface of the Earth.
Why is it worth giving up plastic?
Plastic is a material used for many purposes, such as packaging, water bottles, and food containers. The problem with plastic is that it takes hundreds of years to decompose and simply gets stuck in the environment. Unfortunately, plastic is flooding the world, and we can't keep up with its disposal. It's estimated that only 30% of plastic waste produced in the EU is recycled. Half of this ends up outside the European Union. Per capita plastic consumption in the European Union increased from 150 to 174 kg in less than a decade (2009-2017). In Poland, each person generates approximately 47 kg of plastic waste per year.
How to successfully complete the Plastic Free July challenge?
Less waste is a lifestyle that aims to reduce waste production in order to lead a more environmentally sustainable lifestyle. Remember, plastic itself isn't bad. It's durable, safe, convenient, and inexpensive. If you buy a plastic cutting board and use it for years, you won't harm the environment. It's worth focusing on reducing the use of single-use plastic, of which we have far too much in our lives. So what can you do right now?
1. Give up bottled water
Replace it with tap water or tap water filtered in jugs or bottles with a carbon filter.
2. Take your own bags shopping.
You can also go a step further and use your own bags for vegetables and fruit, as well as weighing containers for cheese and cold cuts.
3. Give up on plastic products
Especially if they have eco-friendly alternatives, and these are becoming increasingly easy to find. What products are we talking about? These include cotton buds, toothbrushes, plastic cups, and straws. And many others that are truly easy to replace with a more sustainable version.
4. Limit the use of ready-made meals, catering and takeaway meals
This means not only less plastic, but also more money in your wallet and often healthier and less processed meals. You can take your own food with you, for example, in reusable lunchboxes.
5. Buy beauty products in bars and in alternative packaging to plastic.
It's getting easier! Shampoos, soaps, deodorants, and even toothpastes now have eco-friendly versions, primarily in the form of cleansing bars and dilutable tablets. What's more, you can easily find them in most drugstores, so you don't have to go through the extra trouble of searching the depths of the eco-conscious internet.
6. Look for eco-friendly makeup products
It's not just skincare products that you can find in non-plastic packaging these days. Makeup is also becoming more readily available! Currently, 25% of the Annabelle Minerals range is packaged in alternative packaging to plastic. These primarily include unstained paper, glass, aluminum, wood, and metal. Plastic, which is still available, can be reused and recycled after use.
Reducing single-use plastic in your daily life is a process. It's much easier to do it in small steps, consistently working toward your goal. However, it's an effort worth making—for the good of our planet and future generations.
