Bali is a popular tourist destination. So it was shocking when British diver Rich Horner shared a video of himself swimming through immense amounts of plastic waste off the coast of Bali. The problem of plastic rubbish clogging our oceans is increasing day by day, adversely impacting marine life and diversity. It is thus essential to work towards making a plastic free earth.
On a daily level, we encounter plastic products a number of times. When we go shopping for groceries we must carry our own cloth bags and refuse plastic bags even if offered. Cities like Mumbai have already banned single-use plastic bags. Such bags take centuries to decompose nor can they be disposed of easily without further polluting the air.
More often than not when we get takeaway food we are provided with plastic cutlery and containers. It is best to carry our own steel lunch boxes and ask restaurants to pack parcels in them. When it comes to cutlery you can simply refuse plastic ones or else ask for cutlery made out of bamboo which is eco-friendly and biodegradable. At home too, make sure that you use coconut bowls and spoons and cookware made of stainless steel, ceramic, or silicone.
The best eco friendly and plastic-free personal care practices you can adopt at home are to use a bamboo toothbrush, carry a reusable copper water bottle, use reusable face scrubbies, and a crochet soap saver. All these products last long and reduce wastage at home as well as for the planet.
For the kitchen, get rid of the plastic cleaning sponge and switch to coconut coir scrub pads to clean your utensils and other surfaces, as plastic sponges shed out microparticles of plastic that stick to our utensils and go into our body, harming our organs.
At the office to you can adopt an eco-friendly lifestyle. If you regularly buy coffee from coffee shops you can carry your own travel mug made of stainless steel or bamboo to reduce waste. Also, it’s important to carry your own bamboo cutlery instead of using plastic cutlery.
When it comes to our eating habits we consume large amounts of processed food. This not only lacks nutrients but also has numerous drawbacks such as plastic packaging, air, and water pollution. When you cook your own food using fresh vegetables you can experience the change in taste for yourself. If you’re a meat-eater set-out days in the month where you have a plant-based diet. Grow your own vegetables and avoid throwing away food. Instead, give it to the needy.
We often use plastic ziplock bags to store fruits and vegetables in the refrigerator. It’s best to use paper bags instead. Many of us cut our vegetables a day in advance as part of meal prep. To keep these chopped vegetables fresh we cover them with plastic cling wrap which we then discard after using only once. Plastic wrap is also used in lunch boxes or to refrigerate cookie dough. But did you know that nowadays you can also get eco-friendly and biodegradable wraps made out of beeswax and silicone?
The journey to plastic free earth may be tough but eventually, we can get there. Remember, where there’s a will, there’s away.
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