Hi all,
I'm back for a one-off blog post special. Or maybe it will become something more, who knows. Firstly, a bit of background as to why I disappeared from blogging. I quite simply ran out of things to write about, I'm off of all anti-depressant medication now, I'm not working on sunny islands anymore (although, in my head, I'm there every day), and I've been pretty busy. Pretty busy researching perhaps the most depressing topic that's come into the media to date. - Microplastics
Let me quickly explain what microplastics are. Microplastics are plastic fragments that are less than 5mm in length, about the size of a sesame seed. and they are everywhere. In the ocean, in your food, oh and in your drinking water. Scary right? My dissertation research has involved dissection, acid digesting and then filtering some mussels that were taken from pristine beaches in Greenland. And I can tell you now, there were microplastics found in every single one of them, the final sample contained 32 polystyrene beads.
Now I've told you how much of a ubiquitous problem microplastics are, I'm going to tell you 6 ways that you can reduce the amount of plastic waste you are producing and they're very simple. So simple in fact, I have decided to call them "lazy ways you can save the world." Mainly in the hopes that you would click the link and I could push my anti-plastic agenda upon you. You're here now, so you might as well read on.
Now I've told you how much of a ubiquitous problem microplastics are, I'm going to tell you 6 ways that you can reduce the amount of plastic waste you are producing and they're very simple. So simple in fact, I have decided to call them "lazy ways you can save the world." Mainly in the hopes that you would click the link and I could push my anti-plastic agenda upon you. You're here now, so you might as well read on.
1. Carry shopping bags with you
I work in retail and I cannot tell you how many times I hear people say "Oh, I've left my bags in the car, so I'll just buy more!" I understand that it can be hard to remember your bags after a busy day at work or uni. But, a relatively simple solution to this is to pack a couple of canvas bags into your handbag/backpack/man bag, that way you will always have some on you. And if all else fails, pop your shopping directly into your trolley and pack your bags in the car park. If for any reason you may struggle doing this in the car park, a colleague will be more than happy to help.
2. Buy a reusable drinking bottle
Stop buying individual one-use bottles of water every time you're thirsty. Get yourself a nice reusable bottle, and try to avoid a plastic one, if you can but no biggie if you can't. I do recommend glass ones such as these from Drop bottle @ www.dropbottle.com! And they'll make you're Instagram feed a lot prettier than those single-use plastic ones, promise. ;)
3. Buy a KeepCup (other brands are available)
In 2011 it was estimated that 2.5 billion coffee cups were thrown away each year and that figure is likely to be higher now. Some of the biggest sellers of coffee in the UK, including Costa and Starbucks, say they have started recycling coffee cups, but that's only if customers dispose of their takeaway cups in the store. But I guarantee 80% of students get their coffee to go on a daily basis, I know I did. So that's an awful lot of waste going to landfill and eventually entering our oceans. Please, buy a KeepCup or any other travel cup! Link here to KeepCup: http://amzn.eu/9i5IIEQ
4. Ban the straw!
In the U.S, the consumption of straws is high enough that they could wrap the straw around the circumference of the earth 2.5times A DAY. Not in a month, or a year, daily. A lot of companies now will make you ask for a straw or provide paper straws. I have heard a lot of complaints about the paper straws going mushy and I will respond to that in my usual way - Just get over it. The health of the environment is a lot more important than that minor inconvenience. However, I do understand that some people do require straws for health reasons, you can now buy reusable metal straws in a pack of 3 at your local ASDA or Walmart and if that fails, you can also purchase them through eBay or Amazon.
5. Switch to shampoo and conditioner bars
As I was in the shower the other day, I looked down at the little rack that we have to store all our shampoo, conditioner and body wash in and I was so ashamed about how much plastic there was. So, after some research and talking to other eco-friends I went out to purchase my LUSH shampoo and conditioner bars (There will probably be a review on these soon). They were around £6.50 each but they will last me around 3 months, so in reality, these cost around the same as buying shampoo and conditioner in plastic bottles. Except I can wash my hair knowing that what is going down the drain is purely natural ingredients and at the end of it, there will be no residual waste. Win-Win!
6. Buy package free
This one is relatively self-explanatory. Stop buying things with excess packaging - like your fruit and veg, go and support your local fruit and veg shop (if you're fortunate enough to have one). Avoid buying packaged foods in your supermarket and if you are presented with no other choice - buy the packaged goods and dump the plastic packaging at the till. Just do it, 75% of supermarket staff hate excess packaging too. If it is dumped in store, the company are obligated to try and recycle it (This is based on my personal experience at ASDA stores, I cannot vouch for elsewhere). Regardless, you will then place pressure on the company to just stop putting excess packaging on things (Seriously, bananas, apples, and oranges do not need it), as they will be losing man-hours for people to clean it up.
These six recommendations are for the average person, who might now be in the financial or living situation to go completely waste free, however, if just 100 of you applying these six steps to your daily life, it will help to minimize the plastic problem we have in modern society. Please, just give it a try, and once you've tried it, tell two of your friends, and tell them to tell two of their friends. Eventually, this will create a snowball effect and we can all work towards living more sustainable lives.
Thank you for reading this today, any questions, queries, problems, please pop them in the comments below.
3. Buy a KeepCup (other brands are available)
In 2011 it was estimated that 2.5 billion coffee cups were thrown away each year and that figure is likely to be higher now. Some of the biggest sellers of coffee in the UK, including Costa and Starbucks, say they have started recycling coffee cups, but that's only if customers dispose of their takeaway cups in the store. But I guarantee 80% of students get their coffee to go on a daily basis, I know I did. So that's an awful lot of waste going to landfill and eventually entering our oceans. Please, buy a KeepCup or any other travel cup! Link here to KeepCup: http://amzn.eu/9i5IIEQ
4. Ban the straw!
In the U.S, the consumption of straws is high enough that they could wrap the straw around the circumference of the earth 2.5times A DAY. Not in a month, or a year, daily. A lot of companies now will make you ask for a straw or provide paper straws. I have heard a lot of complaints about the paper straws going mushy and I will respond to that in my usual way - Just get over it. The health of the environment is a lot more important than that minor inconvenience. However, I do understand that some people do require straws for health reasons, you can now buy reusable metal straws in a pack of 3 at your local ASDA or Walmart and if that fails, you can also purchase them through eBay or Amazon.
5. Switch to shampoo and conditioner bars
As I was in the shower the other day, I looked down at the little rack that we have to store all our shampoo, conditioner and body wash in and I was so ashamed about how much plastic there was. So, after some research and talking to other eco-friends I went out to purchase my LUSH shampoo and conditioner bars (There will probably be a review on these soon). They were around £6.50 each but they will last me around 3 months, so in reality, these cost around the same as buying shampoo and conditioner in plastic bottles. Except I can wash my hair knowing that what is going down the drain is purely natural ingredients and at the end of it, there will be no residual waste. Win-Win!
6. Buy package free
This one is relatively self-explanatory. Stop buying things with excess packaging - like your fruit and veg, go and support your local fruit and veg shop (if you're fortunate enough to have one). Avoid buying packaged foods in your supermarket and if you are presented with no other choice - buy the packaged goods and dump the plastic packaging at the till. Just do it, 75% of supermarket staff hate excess packaging too. If it is dumped in store, the company are obligated to try and recycle it (This is based on my personal experience at ASDA stores, I cannot vouch for elsewhere). Regardless, you will then place pressure on the company to just stop putting excess packaging on things (Seriously, bananas, apples, and oranges do not need it), as they will be losing man-hours for people to clean it up.
These six recommendations are for the average person, who might now be in the financial or living situation to go completely waste free, however, if just 100 of you applying these six steps to your daily life, it will help to minimize the plastic problem we have in modern society. Please, just give it a try, and once you've tried it, tell two of your friends, and tell them to tell two of their friends. Eventually, this will create a snowball effect and we can all work towards living more sustainable lives.
Thank you for reading this today, any questions, queries, problems, please pop them in the comments below.
