Plastics are now a severe headache for planet Earth, and it's time we take some measures to reverse this situation. The invasion of plastic is a reality. Just remember that the plastic waste island drifting in the Pacific Ocean now amounts to 1.6 million km2. So, if we all want to save our planet, now is the time for each one of us to take action.
The Story of Plastic has been awarded a News & Documentary Emmy. You can watch the film FOR FREE through November 30th, with thanks to Discovery.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCNanJNJ8JA&t=4082s
Reduce plastic consumption and encourage your friends and family to do the same to lessen its impact on the environment. But reducing the consumption of plastic requires a change in habits as well as a change of mindset. So, we’ve rounded up 5 tips to reduce using plastic in 2021 we all should start following to make the world a better living place.
5 Tips to Reduce Using Plastic in 2021
Indeed, plastic has become a constant component of our lives. You can find it everywhere: cosmetic ingredients, product packaging, mobile phones, textiles, etc. It is so omnipresent that most people would think the mere idea of reducing the consumption of plastic or entirely giving it up is an incredibly challenging task.
But unless we don’t start now, we’ll all end up drowning in plastic (the illustrations here show what the piles of plastic would look like when they’re collected over a more extended period.) To further put the magnitude of this devastating problem into context, we’ll analyze some objective data:
- Every year, almost 500 billion plastic bottles are manufactured over the world.
- The plastic in the ocean already exceeds 150 million tons of waste.
- Around 8 million tons of plastic ends ups in the oceans and seas every year.
- By 2050, there’s a chance the oceans will contain more plastics than fish.
Single-use plastics account for almost half of the plastic we buy and/or use every year. Plastics will outlive our children and us. The good news is this is in our hands. We, as consumers, can turn things around.
Start small, and you’ll begin to see that minimizing single-use plastic and stuff with plastic packaging in your daily life is utterly satisfying and a lot less complicated than we think.
All it takes is finding the proper substitutes and switching more efficient appliances and products, like those made by GoSun. Having said that, here are 5 simple tips to help you reduce using plastic in 2021.
1. Try to Buy Things, Not in Plastic
The biggest and hardest choice you need to make is the packaging. If you are exhausted from all the waste produced by taking trips to the grocery store, now is the best time to take this initiative and go plastic-free. With just a few minor adjustments, you can exclude plastic packaging from your daily life, one step at a time.
Several locations are now offering their customers a plastic-free shopping experience. You might need to adjust your purchasing patterns or shop at multiple stores to meet your objectives based on where you live. Here are some of the less harmful options to choose as alternatives to plastic packaging and stuff you should carry in your plastic-free shopping trip:
Best Packaging Alternatives
- Paper
- Stainless steel
- Glass
- Aluminum
- Bamboo
- Beechwood
What to Bring In Your Plastic-Free Shopping Trip
- Reusable bulk food bags
- Cloth shopping bags
- Net or mesh bags
- Glass bottles
- Mason jars
- Spice containers
- Beeswax wrapping
- Larger stainless steel or glass containers
Tips for Your Shopping Trip
- Opt for a grocery store with plastic package-free veggies and fruits. Often at times, those bagged deals are not really a deal at all. Put the veggies directly in your cloth bag instead of plastic.
- If your community store has a scale for weighing containers, record the weight on your lid, bag, or jar (use a grease pencil for mason jars) before filling.
- If your local grocery store doesn’t include a deli counter where you can carry your own container for meat, visit your nearest butcher shop. If there isn't one nearby and you cannot bring your own containers, request them not to use plastic wrapping and instead go for paper wrapping.
- Only buy the things you need to minimize food wastage.
- Wash all the reusable bulk food bags after every use. You can use produce bags a handful of times before washing.
2. Go to a Farmers Market and Cook Your Food in a GoSun Solar Oven
One of the most recent developments in our lives has been our obsession with eating and drinking on the go. Even though the advancements in technology have been favorable to people in various ways, one of the most significant downsides is expecting to get everything in the snap of a finger.
We try to fit in so much in our days that most of us have forgotten what it’s like to experience the simplest pleasures of life, like hand-picking your items for the day’s meal, preparing home-cooked meals with your beloved, and slowing down to properly enjoy and appreciate every morsel of food.
The best way to slow down a little in life and play your part in protecting the environment is to give up on frozen and processed foods or fast foods. Most of these items’ packaging is made from plastic.
Instead of buying to-go food or even from your local grocer’s, visit the farmer’s market and shop products from there.
The farmers’ market produce does not have packaging. It is ideal for reducing plastic waste, decreasing your carbon footprints, supporting your town’s economy, and saving money. Shop for all your produce from there and cook your food in a GoSun solar oven.
Since the vendors there are farmers themselves, they grow their crops and food locally, which minimizes its footprint. And if you start cooking your food in a GoSun solar oven, there’ll be no no fuel consumption, or emissions. You’ll get only the juiciest and tastiest food you will ever make, using nothing but the sun.
3. Use Reusable Stainless Steel Or Ceramic Coffee Cup
If you’re addicted to drinking coffee, then parting ways with your regular K-cups might be incredibly hard. Still, it will also save tons of plastic and money in the end. These K-cups consume a significant amount of plastic wastes and are certainly no fix for the environment.
Making the switch to a travel mug or a reusable stainless steel ceramic coffee cup can make you feel a lot less wasteful, and rest assured, your coffee tastes just as good! Switch to GoSun Brew – Travel Coffee Maker to enjoy your hot coffee while being environmentally conscious.
With this impressive French Press and Heater all-in-one, you can make your coffee or tea anywhere under 10 minutes, and without single use cups.
All-In-One
Runs at 12V Power. Just add some water and coffee grounds or tea leaves and enjoy your coffee.
Take anywhere
A durable travel coffee mug built for people on the move.
Solar Ready
Comes with an optional power bank and solar charges. Use the sun to brew your coffee anywhere without worrying about contributing to plastic waste.
Use A Stainless Steel Water Bottle And Stop Buying Plastic Water Bottles
The production of plastic has arisen in the last 50 years and led to extensive use of cheap disposable products that are causing a devastating impact on the environment. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles are widely used for mineral water and soft drinks. They are now being used in personal care and hygiene, and other household products too.
- Some plastic bottles carry as many as ten thousand of these microplastic parts in one liter.
- According to a new report, bottled water has twice as much microplastic in it as tap water.
- They are usually a similar kind of plastic used for making bottle caps.
Therefore, we need to switch from plastic to steel water bottles and stop purchasing plastic soda and water bottles. Opt for other ways to drink, like using a straw-like filter or the water pouch for drinking from any water source. Moreover, if you want to ensure your drinking water from any source is purified, get the GoSun Flow.
The GoSun Flow is a solar water purifier that requires no patience, chemicals, or hand-pumping. Using just a USB-operated pump, GoSun Flow remarkably filters out 99.99% of pathogens from the water, including viruses. And if you want to take the reducing plastic use initiative up a notch, upgrade to shower and sink with the GoSun Flow Pro.
5. Get Flatware
Plastic cutlery is found everywhere, and you can use most of them just once. Billions of plastic spoons, knives, and forks are tossed away every year. But unlike other plastic items like bottles and bags, plastic cutlery takes the longest to break down.
If you can stop using plastic cutlery, you’ll drastically prevent the plastic from working its way into the environment. A logical solution would be to carry your own cutlery. The GoSun Flatware is a reusable, stainless steel travel cutlery set you should switch to stop single-use plastic.
An average American discards more than 322 plastic cutlery each year. It’s time to reduce the waste. We can do better than this. It’s time to say no to single use plastic.
