Slashing Waste Consumption: At-home and On-the-go

What does it mean to lower waste consumption: It is the practice of cutting down on single-use products, especially plastic, in the form of water bottles, Styrofoam packaging and food storage, straws, and lighters. And lowering pollution from our electricity and transportation usage.

Why make the change to lower our waste: Single use waste takes a detrimental tool on the environment and causes a wide array of health concerns. Plastic takes hundreds of years to decompose and suffocates countless marine animals, every day. Micro-plastics get into our food and water sources and disrupts our cells, DNA, and hormone functions.

Scale of single- use plastic consumption, annually: Water bottles: 480 billion (or 62 per person based on 7.7 billion global population). Plastic bags: one trillion (129 per person). Straws: 500 million (or 65 per person).

How do you fare? Do you contribute more or less than the global average?

No matter where you are in your journey, you can start making a change. Below are some easy and small changes to cut down on waste consumption:

In the Realm of Drinks:

                Use a tea diffuser and loose-leaf instead of pre-bagged tea (all- star change: grow your own herbs for tea!)

                Get a reusable coffee filter or k- cup (all- star change: use drip coffee which requires no electricity)

                Go full circle and compost your coffee and tea

               Invest in a glass or stainless steel water bottle (resourceful award: upcycle a glass bottle from a store bought product to use as your new water bottle)

                Bring a mug or thermos into work to keep at your desk if you drink coffee throughout day (bonus: most coffee shops give a discount for bringing in your own mug)

                Get a stainless steel straw

In the Realm of Food & Storage:

                Invest in some glass pyrex bowls for food storage (all-star award: bring one when you eat out so you can package your food without using the restaurants packaging)

                Keep utensils with you at all times instead of grabbing plastic utensils

                Bring reusable bags to the grocery store

                Obtain some Beeswax covers instead of using cling-wrap or foil

                Freeze produce that you will not use or gift/ donate to a friend or someone in need

                Go for unpackaged food, i.e. produce and bulk food

                Grow your own herb/ produce garden or take part in a community garden

In the Realm of Daily life:

                Know where to recycle your electronics

                See out the lifetime of your electronics (try to resist fad-hopping)

                Unplug electronics after use

                Use natural light instead of turning on lights

                Install a bidet attachments to lower toilet paper usage (bonus: it is more hygienic than toilet paper!)

                Take quicker showers

                Next time you need to buy hygiene products, consider bamboo brushes and toothbrushes

                Buy a reusable or bamboo razor

                For feminine products, switch to a Diva cup or Thinx underwear (bonus: you are not taking in pesticides from cotton tampons, are at a lower risk for Toxic Shock Syndrome, and you save money!)

                Wear clothes multiple times if they are not dirty

                Buy second hand and donate clothing

                Carpool or use public transportation

                Share your products rather than buying new!! (I know… RIVETING)

                Be creative! Repurpose and upcycle products