reduce your single plastic usage

Plastic is everywhere, in our food packaging, cosmetic ingredients, clothes and mobile phones. But most importantly, it's in our oceans. To be precise, a 1.6 million km2 plastic waste island is floating in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, and it keeps growing daily.

Single-use plastics have an average useful life of 12 to 15 minutes and yet can take up to 500 years to disappear.

Fortunately, as consumers, it's in our hands to take responsibility, reduce our consumption of plastics and acquire new plastic-free habits. Together, we can make a huge impact and Turn the Tide. Following are a few tips provided by the great people at Plastic Pollution Coalition on how to make changes today:

 

TIPS

 

BOTTLES BUILT FOR LIFE

Bring a stainless steel water bottle rather than drinking water out of disposable plastic bottles. And guess what? You're drinking plastic in your plastic bottle, disrupting your hormones and making yourself sick. Choose stainless steel or glass reusable bottles over aluminium. Don’t have your stainless steel bottle with you? Buy a glass-bottled drink. When you finish that beverage, reuse the bottle or make sure to recycle it. Glass is recycled at much higher rates than plastic.

TOTES ARE MY BAG

Always bring your own bags whenever you shop, not just for the supermarket. By bringing your own bag, you alone can save between 400 and 600 plastic bags per year. There are lots of cool tote bag companies out there. Don’t just bring your own tote bags - remember the little bags for your produce and bulk buy items, too!

REFUSE THE STRAW

Consider some easy alternatives to the ubiquitous plastic straws that come in nearly every restaurant and bar glass. When did using a straw become so commonplace anyway? But if you have become addicted to using a straw, consider carrying your own:

CHALICE SANS MALICE

Bring your own stainless steel or ceramic mug. Carry one in your car. Some coffee shops will even reward your thoughtfulness with a small discount on coffee or tea. Hot drinks always taste better in durable ceramic, anyway! Like milk cartons, those cardboard cups often have a plastic lining, so in effect they are plastic. All to-go cups have that plastic lid, a major contributor to plastic pollution.

takeaway in style

Whether you prepare your lunch to take to school or the office, get take-away or go out to eat, remember to take along your own reusable containers for sandwiches, snacks, and leftovers. Some cool options:

MIND YOUR BUTTS

Not that you need another pressure to stop smoking if you already do, but did you know that cigarette filters are actually made of plastic? Every butt you put on the ground or in the bin and don’t recycle is contributing to plastic pollution worldwide. But if you’re not ready to take the step to quit, at least rethink the lighter. Rather than buy plastic disposable lighters, consider investing in a refillable multi-use lighter. The oceans of the world will thank you, as will all those birds and marine life who mistake their bright colors for food. Disposable plastic lighters are one of the most common items found in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch trash analyses.

glass rules

Where possible, buy your milk or juice in a glass returnable/reusable bottle. It may seem old-fashioned, but it tastes great, and it’s better for you. You may have to look for it, but many local shops and even some larger ones carry glass-bottled milk and juice. Those oh-so-common cartons may look like cardboard, but they have a layered plastic lining which is a problem not only for disposal and recycling but also for your health!

bees knees

There are many excellent substitutes to the ubiquitous stretch plastic wrap/cling film we have been told is essential for cooking and preserving foods - like beeswax wraps. Bees Wraps conform to bowls and containers, keep sandwiches fresh, and it washable and reusable.

WATCH WHAT YOU FLUSH

All roads lead to Rome, so to speak. The oil, trash and debris on the street and in the gutter often ends up going down storm drains and into the ocean. Nitrogen-rich fertilizers are really harmful to the ocean, so spruce up your garden using natural products. Never ever flush kitty litter down the toilet – it contains pathogens that are very harmful to marine life. Another biggie - never release aquarium fish into the ocean or other bodies of water. The exotic fish in your aquarium can take down local ecosystems, as the lion fish is doing in the Atlantic and Caribbean today.

LOOKING FOR BRANDED MERCHANDISE
FOR AN EVENT OR ORGANIZATION?

For large-scale orders of stainless steel cups, bottles, utensils, or other consumer items for an event, we recommended Steelys Drinkware. They can custom brand items around your desired specifics, including design assistance with colours and logos. To-Go Ware and Chicobags are also great partners for larger-scale branding of reusable tools made from bamboo, wood, or recycled materials.