Plastic is so common in our world today that it is almost impossible to imagine life without it. However, fighting for a life without plastic remains a noble and worthy goal – and it gets easier with each passing year as more and more people demand alternatives to plastic and deny participation in the absurd plastic waste that fills our planet’s landfills. Here are a few tips on how to get rid of plastic at home. Don’t worry. It’s easier than you think!
1.Use Non-Plastic Containers
Take a reusable water bottle and travel mug with you wherever you go. Prepare your lunch in glass (Mason jars are wonderfully versatile), stainless steel, stacking metal tiffins, cloth sandwich bags, a wooden bento box, etc. Bring recyclable materials to the supermarket, farmers’ market or any other point of purchase and weigh them before filling them.
2. Avoid the Worst Plastic Delinquents
If you check the bottom of a plastic container, you will see a number (from 1 to 7) inside a triangle of arrows. The most hazardous plastics are: #3 – Polyvinyl chloride, a highly poisonous plastic that has harmful substances such as phthalates and lead and is used in plastic packaging, peanut butter jars, some squeeze bottles, and children’s toys. #6 – Polystyrene, which is made of styrene, a brain and nervous system toxin, disposable tableware, take-out containers, No. 7 plastic cutlery – Polycarbonate/another category, which contains bisphenol A and is found in the most metal can linings, clear plastic cups, sports drink bottles, juice and ketchup containers
3. Avoid Frozen Ready Meals
Common foods are among the worst culprits for excess packaging waste. Frozen foods are wrapped in plastic and packaged in cardboard, which is often covered with plastic. There is no other solution; it is a buying habit that you will have to give up if you want to get rid of plastic.
4. Prepare Your Condiments
It could be a fun canning experience, and if you spend a whole day canning, you could have enough for the entire year. Prepare cucumber or zucchini relish and ketchup when vegetables in late summer are abundantly available. Dishes such as chocolate sauce, mustard, and mayonnaise are quick and easy to prepare once you master them. Everything can be stored in glass jars.
5. Avoid Consuming Bottled-Water
Purchasing bottled-water is absurd, especially given that it is less regulated than tap water. It is generally filtered tap water and exorbitantly expensive; the collection, bottling, and shipping of this water is a considerable waste of resources. Besides, it produces unnecessary plastic waste that is not recycled.
6. Keep Your Laundry Plastic-Free
Instead of conventional detergents, use soap flakes, soap strips or soap nuts in plastic-lined cartons with plastic shovels or thick plastic pitchers.
7. Avoid Non-Stick Cookware.
Don’t expose yourself and your family to the toxic perfluorinated chemicals released when non-stick surfaces such as Teflon are heated. Replace them with cast iron cookware (which works and non-stick if adequately seasoned and maintained), stainless steel, or copper cookware.
8. Buy in Bulk
The more bulk items you can buy, the more you save on packaging. Although this has been a standard mentality in bulk food stores for years, fortunately it is becoming increasingly prevalent in supermarkets as well. You’ll save money on the cost of food and, if you drive, on the gas used for extra trips to the store. Look for large wheels of cheese, without plastic wrap, and stock up on them whenever possible.
9. Use Natural Cloths Instead of Plastic Brushes.
If you need something with cleaning power, choose copper rather than plastic. Use a cotton rag or a cotton brush.
What are the other tips you know about? Share it with us in the comments below!