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MAFS' Aleks and Ivan exchange wedding vows
Watch 4:43

MAFS' Aleks and Ivan exchange wedding vows

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6 Easy Ways To Reduce Your Plastic Use Today

How many do you already do? - by Maddison Urquhart
  • 02 Jul 2018
6 Easy Ways To Reduce Your Plastic Use Today

Plastic is everywhere. From drink bottles to grocery bags at the supermarket to toothbrushes; it's no surprise that over the last ten years humans have produced more plastic than during the entirety of last century.

 

Sometimes hearing about the magnitude of waste polluting our landfills and oceans is overwhelming and can leave us questioning if our actions really have any meaningful impact. However, by making a few small changes on a day-to-day basis you can significantly reduce the amount of plastic consumed. 

Below the simple tips and tricks you can adopt to reduce your usage and help save our planet.

japanginger View Profile
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Nice use of design to highlight marine pollution on our beaches #100islandsprotected #plasticwaste #marinepollution #coronaxparley #corona #parley

1. Carry Reusable Shopping Bags 

Plastic bags are officially a thing of the past. Supermarket chains such as Coles and Woolworths have remained true to their promise of reducing their plastic consumption by removing single-use plastic bags from their stores. The Woolworths Group revealed it hands out more than 3.2 billion single-use plastic bags every year, now they're hoping to push customers to use bio-degradable bags instead.  

phoebejtonkin View Profile
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Zero Waste shopping 💚dream girl @itsblitzzz took me grocery shopping and we didn't use any plastic! Check out her page for the full video 🍃🌱🌿🌎🌍💚 thanks for showing me how easy it is to be kind to our beautiful earth; it's very inspiring how dedicated you are to the environment and I'm excited to start shopping plastic free from now on.

2. Ditch Plastic Water Bottles 

Think of how many times you've walked into the supermarket and purchased bottled water. Now think about the fact that bottles used to package water take over 1000 years to biodegrade, and, if incinerated can produce toxic fumes. As plastic bottles can take more than 450 years to decompose, landfills are rapidly increasing and harming our ecosystem. Instead, opt for a reusable water bottle. You'll be doing yourself and the environment a favour. 

Last year, adidas teamed up with environmental initiative Parley, selling 1 million pairs of recycled ocean plastic sneakers, each of which reuses 11 plastic bottles. Until 8th July, adidas will donate USD $1 per km tracked via the free Runtastic app, up to USD one million dollars, to support the Parley Ocean School program. Read about how you can get involved here.

adidas

adidas x Parley's Run for the Oceans event

3. Switch Plastic Straws For Metal Straws

Did you know an estimated 8 to 11 million tonnes of plastic enters our ocean every year? This is the equivalent of emptying a garbage truck filled with plastic into the oceans every minute. In the USA alone, over 500 million straws are used every day. You might be thinking, 'Its just a straw?', but most straws end up in the ocean where they are commonly mistaken for food by marine life.

Instead of plastic straws, carry around steel versions in your bag and use them when out at a restaurant or bar. 

4. Say No To Buying Single-Use Coffee Pods 

It's hard to imagine that a few coffee pods a day could be harmful to the environment. As it turns out they aren't recyclable or biodegradable. The chemicals contained in the plastic can leach into the hot water when you’re making your coffee. Gross.

Yet fear not; there are now reusable pods which are both environmentally friendly and affordable. 

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5. Ditch Disposable Razors 

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, each year roughly 2 billion razors are disposed of. Razor blades are made of plastic and are incredibly difficult to dispose of.

Instead, invest in a metal safety razor. We promise you'll be more satisfied with the result. 

6. Invest in a reusable coffee cup

While they may look like they're made of paper, disposable takeaway coffee cups have been found to contain plastics that do not break down and are damaging to the environment. Coffee cups are estimated to be the second-largest contributor to litter waste after plastic bottles and it's estimated that in Australia alone, we use 1 billion disposable coffee cups each year. Instead, invest in a reusable coffee cup. Our team love Pottery for the Planet. 

potteryfortheplanet View Profile
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* S A N D Y ' S * Restocked now! Be quick! 🖤 . . . . . #BYOcoffeecup #ReuseForNature #real #potteryfortheplanet #Design #eco #bethechange #ReuseRevolution #sustainable #ReusableNotDisposable #ethicalu #endsingleuse #plasticsucks
Maddison Urquhart
Maddison Urquhart
Maddison has been marie claire’s star intern on both print and digital since 2018 and spends her days reading and writing about the latest skincare tips and tricks. When she isn't watching reruns of Gossip Girl, you can find Maddison indulging in a new face mask or trying to emulate Meghan Markle’s signature messy bun (it’s harder than it looks!).

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