May 1, 2019

Plastic is widely available and super convenient. In fact, more than 40% of it is used only once and then thrown away. Seems like a waste. If you want to be more mindful about the amount plastic you discard and don’t know where to start, here are six ways to train yourself away from single-use plastic.

1. Use reusable shopping bags. Cities across the nation are starting to ban plastic bags and retail stores are making the switch as well. Kroger, the largest grocery store chain in the U.S. with over 2,700 stores, recently began phasing out plastic bags. They hand out about 6 billion plastic bags a year. That’s equivalent to about 32,000 tons of plastic. (Source: nationalgeographic.com)
2. Stop buying bottled water and get a reusable water bottle.
3. Buy reusable straws instead of plastic ones. You can find them on Amazon and many come with a brush for cleaning. In restaurants, don’t forget to tell your server to skip the straw.
4. Say no to baggies. Pack your lunch – and store leftovers – in reusable containers.
5. Buy bars of soap, instead of soap in plastic bottles.
6. Buy washable mesh produce bags. If you use reusable shopping bags, take it up a notch by adding mesh produce bags.

How many of these do you see on your drive home from work?