Blog Post #6

Hello everybody and welcome back to Endless Ocean. Today I will be talking about single use plastic; what it is? How do we use it? And how we can reduce our single plastic use. 

Single-use plastics are used only once before they are thrown away. For example, things like plastic bags, straws, coffee stirrers, soda and water bottles and most food packaging are all single use plastic. In my research it shows that we produce roughly 300 million tons of plastic each year and half of it is disposable! World-wide only 10-13% of plastic items are recycled. Although plastic will not breakdown into natural substances it will break down into small particles over the course of many years. During this process of breaking down, the plastic releases toxic chemicals which make their way into our food and water supply.

According to the Green Education Foundation 10 ways to reduce single use plastic are:

1. Stop using plastic straws, even in restaurants. If a straw is a must, purchase a reusable stainless steel or glass straw
2. Use a reusable produce bag. A single plastic bag can take 1,000 years to degrade. Purchase or make your own reusable produce bag and be sure to wash them often! 
3. Give up gum. Gum is made of synthetic rubber, aka plastic. 
4. Buy boxes instead of bottles. Often, products like laundry detergent come in cardboard which is more easily recycled than plastic.
5. Purchase food, like cereal, pasta, and rice from bulk bins and fill a reusable bag or container. You save money and unnecessary packaging. 
6. Reuse containers for storing leftovers or shopping in bulk.
7. Use a reusable bottle or mug for your beverages, even when ordering from a to-go shop
8. Bring your own container for take-out or your restaurant doggy-bag since many restaurants use styrofoam. 
9. Use matches instead of disposable plastic lighters or invests in a refillable metal lighter. 
10. Avoid buying frozen foods because their packaging is mostly plastic. Even those that appear to be cardboard are coated in a thin layer of plastic. Plus you’ll be eating fewer processed foods! 

For more information go to:

http://www.plasticfreechallenge.org/what-is-single-use-plastic

http://www.greeneducationfoundation.org/nationalgreenweeksub/waste-reduction-tips/tips-to-use-less-plastic.html