25 May AVOIDING PLASTIC: A PLASTIC-FREE LIFE MAY NOT BE THAT HARD!
youDRESSED Editor
Plastic is everywhere, absolutely everywhere you go. But a life without (massive) plastic use is possible. It sounds harder than it is. We humans don’t need plastic per se, so why do we use it so wastefully?
Plastic is simply everywhere – no matter whether it’s packaging, everyday items or while shopping. But if you look in the right places and actively seek alternatives, you realise that plastic consumption is not so crucial to life!
Why no plastic?
Why should we avoid plastic though? The material is very useful and is a helpful thing in many areas of life. But what many people really need to understand is that plastic is one of the biggest problems for our earth, for our ecosystem and for the animals that eat the plastic bags and similar things and therefore choke or get sick.
It takes half an eternity for plastic to decompose by itself – from 400 to 500 years, depending on which source you want to trust. It could be much longer! What we know for sure is that plastic is not biological and now we also have microplastic, which is already too present.
Plastic-free daily life
As already mentioned, plastic is everywhere. And even though it is becoming more and more difficult to live plastic-free, there are still very good alternatives that can help in normal life!
In many body care products and make-up there are certain synthetics that make the products what they are – unfortunately there are sometimes (micro-)plastics in there too. This is why it would be a good idea to switch to natural make-up! Or to avoid specific materials with the help of Greenpeace.
Instead of taking a to-go cup and consuming it in a rush, have a nice time and stay in the café to drink in peace and with full relaxation. The plastic outdoor cup has a maximum usage time of half an hour and then it is immediately thrown away. To avoid the Fast-Trash, give yourself a break and stay in the coffee shop.
no-plastic shops
More and more no-plastic and packaging-free stores are opening and if you’re lucky, you might even have one nearby!
From vegetables to shampoo and cosmetics – most shops offer a wide range of products for different areas of life. Being able to shop in a plastic-free shop is a privilege that should be used! Simply bring your own containers from home and fill up the products.
And if there is no plastic-free supermarket nearby, there are also many online shops that can become your new place of reference! In our modern age, we can do pretty much everything digitally – so why not protect the environment digitally too?
Sieh dir diesen Beitrag auf Instagram an
Sieh dir diesen Beitrag auf Instagram an
alternatives to plastic
Plastic bags can be picked up in any shopping shop, but there are better and more environmentally friendly alternatives. Since the bags require additional petroleum and, additionally, a lot of energy in their production, they consume several resources at once. That’s why it’s good to have other options – like tote bags or generally fabric bags.
An easy and good start is to get away from plastic bottles and invest in metal or glass bottles. It’s not only a good thing financially, you can prevent yourself from consuming microplastics. The reusable bottles can be taken anywhere and refilled.
Have you ever heard about bamboo toothbrushes? There are some suppliers who don’t make normal toothbrushes but sustainable ones, which would reduce plastic waste by a lot!
In many areas of life we can avoid using plastic. There are more alternatives than one might think, you just have to look for them! Even if the switch can be complicated, all beginnings are difficult.
Source cover image: Unsplash / Volodymyr Hryshchenko
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