A staggering 300 million metric tonnes of plastic garbage is produced each year. That really is approximately the weight of the total human population as a benchmark. Worse, according to the Earth Day Network, only 10% of this plastic is recovered and recycled.
Plastic pollution is suffocating our globe; humans see this on the side of the street, in landfills, and in the waterways. The CO2 emissions are not only unattractive, but they are also contributing to the rising threat of climate change and damaging the environmental resources.
What exactly is the good news?
People are becoming increasingly aware of the problem, and businesses are looking for more environmentally responsible ways to minimize their plastic trash. Continue reading to find out a little more about plastic packaging and how to reduce your trash.
- Danger To Aquatic Life
There are 46,000 bits of plastic drifting throughout several square miles of water. This is why plastic garbage in our seas and oceans kills over a billion sea birds, dolphins, whales, seals, sea turtles, and other marine animals.
The death toll also includes 100,000 sharks. As a terrible video of Midway illustrates, plastic gets into the bodies of many animals (particularly birds), causing them to die. Plastic waste has wreaked havoc on our oceans and ecosystems, causing environmental havoc.
- Doesn’t Break Down
Plastic is photodegradable rather than biodegradable. In truth, most plastic does not vanish; instead, it degrades into long-lasting “plastic dust.” When plastic bags degrade, they rapidly absorb (and release) chemicals, contaminating soil and water and endangering animals who swallow plastic shards. And there’s no way to win: recycling materials consumes a lot of energy.
A better option would be to eliminate the usage of plastics entirely, but this is not possible. Consider the rising popularity of nail lacquer using microplastics to give texture.
- Toxin Carriers
Plastic materials not only do not degrade quickly, but they also degrade in a hazardous manner. Toxins including phthalates, BPA, and flame retardants are already present in a lot of plastic.
Furthermore, as plastic degrades, it becomes more susceptible to chemicals such as DDT, PCB, and PAH, which are harmful pesticides.
- Sustaining The Petroleum Industry
Plastic production in the United States alone consumes 331 billion barrels of oil, accounting for 5% of total petroleum consumption in the country. Crude oil production and use pollute the environment because it pollutes the air and water.
How To Not Use Plastic
- Look For Sustainable Packaging Options
Companies trying to lessen their environmental effect are increasingly opting for biodegradable packaging. When packaging is labeled as biodegradable, it signifies that it will degrade on its own after a short amount of time.
Compostable packaging is also an excellent way to keep waste out of landfills by converting it into nutrient-rich soil. There are many excellent examples of companies that employ inventive solutions to plastic packaging to keep their packing to a minimum.
- Reusable Options
We’re huge supporters of reusables as a way to reduce unnecessary plastic usage. When you use reusable or refillable things, you’ll be astonished at how much waste you save. Retail coffee cups, take-out containers, plastic water bottles, plastic dining utensils, and superfluous food packaging should all be avoided.
Instead shift to quality paper packaging such as paper plates, bowls, cups, utensils, custom paper food trays, paper towels, etc.
- Avoid Over-Ordering / Order In Bulk
Avoiding over-ordering is a fantastic approach to saving waste. Where less you order, less and less packaging you’ll have to deal with. If you know you’ll be using an item frequently, buy in bulk whenever possible. Bulk orders often require far less packaging than individual purchases.
- Limit Online Shopping
As the popularity of online shopping grows, so does the amount of packing waste. Not only do our online orders necessitate packaging, but the shipments are frequently “over-packaged” in enormous, wasteful boxes stuffed with non-recyclable plastic, packing peanuts, “styrofoam,” bubble wrap, and other unnecessary materials.
When you can buy your favorite jacket from a reputable custom jacket manufacturer locally, why try untrustworthy brands online? You don’t have to deal with as much wasted packaging.
- Take The Lead
You have to take issues into your own hands every now and again! Making a change can sometimes be as simple as contacting businesses and expressing your want to purchase things that have been handled in environmentally responsible ways.
According to a survey conducted by Levapack, a packaging machine manufacturer, 66% of Americans believe that how their things are packaged reflects how concerned the retailer is about their order. Customers consider firms who go above and above to be environmentally responsible as having a higher quality brand than those that do not.
Conclusion
There are numerous strategies to assist lessen the environmental impact of plastic. We may drastically reduce our daily usage of disposed of plastic products by using reusable bags at grocery stores, partnering with industrial companies that design and build re-usable packaging solutions, or using mugs or travel tumblers for our next to-go cup of coffee.
We may also take it a step further by working with our neighborhoods to clean up our surroundings and lobbying local governments to prohibit or tax the usage of plastic packaging.
