You may find it hard to believe but a plastic bottle takes anywhere between 100 and 1000+ years to degrade, with an average degradation time of 450 years! Does this piece of information interest you in using less of plastic and more of environment-friendly substitutes? If yes, then you are treading the right path, because it is never late to start saving our environment.
There are innumerable ways to limit the use of plastic in your daily life. Some people may stare, tease or make fun of you at times, but remember that those are the ones who are not equipped with the right kind of knowledge.
Take your own bag: When you go shopping, be it for books, shoes, clothes or groceries, carry your own sturdy, reusable bag, preferably something made from cotton or jute.
Carry your water bottle: Instead of purchasing a bottle of water when you are thirsty, carry your own water in a bottle or flask made of glass or stainless steel when you leave home. You can use such a bottle over and over again.
Don’t use a straw: When you order your drink at a restaurant, learn to say, “No straw, please”. Straws are made of plastic and therefore when thrown away are detrimental to environment.
Carry your own containers: If you are a sport, go the extra mile by carrying your own reusable container/s to a restaurant to bring back any leftovers!
Reusable lunch box: Instead of packing your lunch or your child’s lunch in single-use bags or containers, use a container that can be used over and over. Get a glass container for yourself to carry food to work or anywhere else. Use reusable, eco-friendly boxes to carry food when you go picnic in the green.
Say no to single-use cutlery: Use reusable stainless steel cutlery to eat. Plastic knives, spoons and forks only add to our waste piles and take hundreds of years to break down.
Storage containers for fridge: To store foods in the refrigerator, opt for glass containers. Glass containers are not only easier to clean, but they are also environment-friendly and can be used year after year.
Bigger jars and tubes: Invest in bigger tubes, jars and containers of personal care items, for instance, shampoo, toothpaste, moisturiser, etc. When you do this, you contribute to creating less waste because ‘bigger lasts longer.’
Eat healthy: Opt for fresh fruits and vegetables and try to eat home-cooked food instead of frozen food available in supermarkets. Frozen food items come in plastic bags.
Use rags: To clean up your kitchen and around the house, use cloth rags. Use your and your family’s old cotton garments to make cloth rags, because use of paper towels only makes more trash!
This is our planet, the only place in the whole wide universe where humans know is safe for them to live and raise children. Save it, and saving it can begin from home! We repeat after superhero Captain Planet, “The power is yours!”
By Wara Karim
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