Plastic pollution is one of the most visible environmental issues of our generation. Australia produces around 2-3 million tons of plastic every single year, with a frightening 130,000 tons on average typically finding its way into our oceans. Being aware of this problem is a good start, but it\u2019s even more important to understand what we can do about it. If we work together, we can all contribute to the ongoing global efforts and work towards turning the tide against oceans of\u00a0plastic pollution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Below are 6 simple yet effective methods we can all do to reduce our personal plastic footprint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the easiest ways you can\u00a0reduce your use of plastics\u00a0is to stop buying single-use disposable cutlery, takeaway containers, coffee cups, and water bottles. It\u2019s our responsibility as consumers to reduce this kind of\u00a0plastic consumption. Instead of buying water bottles, invest in a quality water filter so that you can drink tap water and full up a reusable aluminium water container. You can even get some that will keep your water cold for longer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These are tiny little plastic particles that are often added to beauty and personal care products which act as an exfoliating agent in soaps, face scrubs, and even toothpaste. Because they\u2019re so small, they\u2019re able to easily pass through sewage treatment plants unfiltered before ending up in the local waterway, and eventually the ocean. Because the potential\u00a0risk these microbeads\u00a0pose to marine environments are becoming increasingly apparent, several countries have recently introduced bans on products that contain them. Unfortunately, many of these restrictions are limited in scope and are yet to be fully enforced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Recycling has been an important part of conserving our natural resources while greatly contributing towards improving our environment for many years now. Unfortunately, there are still many who are confused about what can and can\u2019t go into the recycling bin. We\u2019ve all seen those little recycling symbols on our plastic products. The easiest way to know whether a plastic is recyclable is to look for these numbers on the containers. Most liquid and beverage bottles will be number 1 for PET, which is accepted by most recycling companies. Many of the heavier-duty plastic containers are also recyclable in some areas, like juice, milk, or laundry detergent which are marked with a number 2 for HDPE, and yogurt, margarine, and ketchup containers which have a number 5 for PP. If you\u2019re unsure, check with your local recycling company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Most environmentalists agree that simply\u00a0recycling our plastics\u00a0isn\u2019t enough anymore, so it\u2019s critical that we also use other methods to combat our plastic consumption. Not only will buying second-hand products instead of brand new avoid plastic packaging, but it also means they won\u2019t end up in landfills prematurely. Furniture, toys, electronics, books, clothes, bikes, baby gear, sports equipment, and musical instruments are often excellent second-hand buys. You can also repair your phone instead of rushing out to buy this year\u2019s latest model. Not only is it the best thing for our planet, but it\u2019s also great for your wallet too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Glitter is another product made from tiny plastics that is also especially\u00a0lethal to our waterways\u00a0and oceans. And because it\u2019s also a microplastic, it can be easily ingested by shellfish, plankton, and fish which eventually ends up on our dinner plates. But there\u2019s good news! Thankfully, there\u2019s still eco-friendly glitter available that\u2019s made using plant cellulose and is fully biodegradable. So, for those who love a little glitter in their life, eco-friendly glitter allows you to still enjoy some completely guilt-free sparkly fun with the knowledge that there\u2019s no way it can harm marine life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Straws suck\u2026 literally. We use around half a billion plastic straws collectively every single day, and they can take hundreds of years to decompose completely. The easy fix here is if you don\u2019t need a straw, don\u2019t\u00a0use a straw. If you must use one, there are plenty of great alternatives available today like steel, glass, or bamboo straws which you can use over and over again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The plastic problem on our planet is so massive that it can seem insurmountable, which may cause you to feel discouraged. It seems like it\u2019s almost too large to realistically do anything about it.\u202fBut humans are pretty resourceful, so there\u2019s actually a lot we can all do to help our oceans and our planet as a whole and really make a difference.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Plastic pollution is one of the most visible environmental issues of our generation. Australia produces around 2-3 million tons of plastic every single year, with a frightening 130,000 tons on average typically finding its way into our oceans. Being aware of this problem is a good start, but it\u2019s even more important to understand what […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6980,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6979","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-environmental-pollution"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistanaffairs.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6979","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistanaffairs.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistanaffairs.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanaffairs.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanaffairs.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6979"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanaffairs.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6979\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6981,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanaffairs.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6979\/revisions\/6981"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanaffairs.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6980"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistanaffairs.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6979"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanaffairs.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6979"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanaffairs.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6979"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}