Eco-Friendly Living
4 ways to reduce your plastic consumption
Photography, Anna Oliinyk, Unsplash.com
Eco-Friendly Living
4 ways to reduce your plastic consumption
With growing concern over how our lifestyle can affect the world around us, it is important to look inwards and pinpoint which practices we can change and how to become better.
It's no secret that single-use plastics play a large role in polluting our environment. As an individual, there are some steps you can take in order to be part of the solution.
Here are 4 ways you can reduce your plastic consumption:
Pick unpackaged
“When you’re in a mainstream grocery store, choose things that are not packaged in plastic or that aren’t packaged at all,” says Karen Wirsig, senior program manager for plastics at Environmental Defence Canada, adding that if there is a refill business where you live, it’s a great option for reducing packaging on things like hand soap and cleaning products.
Reuse first
Rita Farkas, senior policy advisor with the National Zero Waste Council and Metro Vancouver suggests finding reusable replacements for single-use items—think reusable straws, lunch bags, coffee cups, cutlery, bags, food wrap and even party or holiday decorations.
Clothing counts
“Clothing is a growing source of plastic pollution because so much of our clothing is now made from synthetic fibres that are plastic,” Wirsig says. “When you’re buying clothing, can you buy natural fibres? Can you buy gently used pieces instead?”
Choose well-made
Consider how many uses you expect to get out of any plastics you’re purchasing. “Something might seem cheap, but it’s because we don’t include the environmental impacts of plastic production in the cost at the cash register,” Farkas says. “If you’ve bought a poorly designed product that you’re only going to use a couple of times, you’d likely save money by investing in a better-made option—and that’s true for clothing, household goods and furniture.”
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