*Updated in April 2019 for Earth Month.

Plastic Pollution

“What in heavens is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch?!”, you wonder incredulously after reading about the recent (largest) plastic waste clean-up ever. Well, let me answer that for ya.

Plastic was once touted as a revolutionary product that could eliminate food spoilage as it prevented air penetration and as a result, its stability has become a thorn in our flesh because it is non-biodegradable.

Fast forward many decades later, discarded plastic wastes are floating in suspension as part of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP) with estimated size at 1.6 million square kilometres, twice that of Texas!

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP) is located halfway between Hawai'i and California and is the largest offshore plastic garbage accumulation zone in the world. Click To Tweet

Scientists estimate the mass of the GPGP at 80,000 tonnes, about 500 jumbo jets, and they do not sink, but float on the ocean surface thus negatively impacting marine ecosystems.

Plastic wastes degrade via sunlight and sea water to release micro-plastics that enter the marine food chain eventually ending up on our plates and in our bodies. As a pescatarian, I am appalled by this. Is there nothing humanity has not yet tainted!? Apparently not.

For further reading on the GPGP, I invite you to read this for depth and clarity—> The Ocean Cleanup.

That said, I start to make small changes in my lifestyle regarding plastic elimination, such as always having a reusable cloth bag with me, carrying my non-BPA refillable water bottle and taking lunch to work in a stainless steel food container.

I even take a reusable bag and my water bottle on my inaugural solo trip to Copenhagen where it saves me money.

 

Read More: 7 Penny-Pinching Tips for Copenhagen

 

Let The Challenge Begin!

I am surfing on the interwebs one fine day when I stumble upon the Earth Hero site with very affordable and sustainable products for daily use.

There are beautiful recycled products for sale at mainstream online stores and I want to do my bit for sustainability but the price tag always puts me off so I stick to what I can do: reusable bags and non-plastic bottles.

I browse Earth Hero and literally squeal at the practical products and their prices. So affordable and they’re all recycled, compostable and non-plastic material. Perfect!

They have a 31- day Zero Waste Challenge and the idea pops into my head to try to be plastic-free for a full month. “That’s gonna be a tough one, girl!”, I say to me.

It’s going to be hard, especially with plastic bag use, but if I can confidently do three-quarters of the challenge, I can work towards implementing the rest once I figure out ways of eliminating plastic from my lifestyle.

Without further ado, let me take you through each day of the Zero Waste Challenge with alternatives to plastic products.

Day 1

Ditch plastic water bottles. Most plastic in landfills are from single-use plastic sources like water bottles. Even though a small amount of plastic can be recycled, the U.S. recycling rate for plastic is 23% .

Investing in non-plastic bottles reduce the amount of single-use plastic in landfills and save you money too! Isn’t it worth it?

Alternatives: There are glass water bottles and stainless steel flasks that keep drinks cold and plastic free.

 

Day 2

Refuse plastic straws. Do you know that approx. 500m plastic straws are discarded in the U.S. alone? Now, imagine the number in other populous parts of the globe. Staggering, right?

Straws are so light that recycling them is pretty much impossible as they interfere with the sorting process thus ending up in landfills and the ocean.

It is believed that if we don't act now to reduce marine plastic pollution, by 2050, there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish! Click To Tweet

Alternatives: There are paper, glass and bamboo straws that are either compostable or recycleable.

The glass straw comes with its own cleaning brush in a sleeve and bent glass straws are available for ability-impaired individuals that rely on plastic straws for their flexibility.

Many retailers are listening to consumers and some have taken it upon themselves to switch to compostable paper straws. If you must drink with a straw (to not smear your lippie, maybe), best do it in your own glass or bamboo straw.

Traveller starter pack: glass straws + cleaner, bamboo cutlery, reusable tote bag & a refillable non-plastic bottle are ideal to carry on voyages as part of sustainable travel. Click To Tweet

 

Read More: Millennial Musings: 8 Rookie How-to Tips on Sustainable Travel

Day 3

Refuse plastic utensils. Plastic utensils are also single-use, non-biodegradable and difficult to recycle resulting in rejection during sorting at recycling stations.

Alternatives: Say no to plastic utensils when buying take-out dinners or work lunches and either opt to bring in your own cutlery set from home or invest in affordable bamboo utensils to carry round.

Believe me, you’ll be doing a great service because once retailers notice consumers rejecting plastic, it reaches the ears of corporate shareholders, who in turn signal a change to their supply chain.

 

Day 4

Avoid plastic wrap. We all use clingfilm (or saran wrap in the U.S.) in our cooking lives, and once we’re done with it, into the bin it goes.

Clingfilm cannot be recycled for obvious reasons: dried food remains and a scrunched surface clogs up recycling machines.

Alternatives: There are washable and reusable beeswax-coated food cloths on the market. Ancient civilizations used beeswax to preserve foods because of its stability and anti-microbial properties and they have been in use ever since.

For vegan purists, there are jojoba and natural oil-coated food wraps available if beeswax does not suit your lifestyle. For example, Khala Cloth vegan wraps is one of these and they are good. I have a pack for use.

 

Day 5

Reject grocery plastic bags. We all use plastic grocery bags. Hands up if you have a large bag filled with plastic bags either under your kitchen sink or at the side of that small space between your fridge and the wall *both my hands are up* Lol.

Not gonna lie, I use them as bin liners, makeshift covers for cleaning agents and to wrap food waste before discarding in the garbage can. I do this mostly when cleaning fish, for obvious reasons.

In the past year, I’ve gotten into the habit of having a reusable cloth bag wherever I go, be it work or play. As a result, my stash of plastic bags is reducing and I wrap fish waste in newspapers instead of plastic bags.

Most retailers offer a discount if you bring your own bag and in parts of Europe, retailers charge a small amount if you require a plastic bag. This is as good a deterrent as any because it is all about supply and demand.

In Kenya, the government banned plastic bags and imposed fines of up to $40,000 or 4 years imprisonment, and it seems to be working. Waterways are free of once familiar plastic that impact fishermen and marine life and the citizens love it.

Alternatives: A recycled & reusable cloth bag such as the VITA rePETe shopping bag is a handy one to have for those impromptu grocery runs after work. It is made from 99% recycled content (water bottles) and at the end of its life, you can return it to the manufacturer to be recycled into another bag. The circular economy at work!

 

*I know the picture above is horrifying but it jolts you to your senses on how plastic waste is literally killing marine life…and we are being affected too by microplastics in fish and water.*

 

Day 6

Swap out plastic coffee cups. You know the drill: you emerge groggily from the chambers of the subway or from the warmth of your car in winter. It is a Monday, the day has barely begun and you are already tired. Sigh.

You head to your fave cafe for your daily cup of joe, or in my case, Earl Grey with honey and lemon. You barely notice the material of the cup as you’re only interested in its contents, but your cup of joe is made from non-biodegradable plastic.

Once done, you discard it without a second thought. Alas! The cup is either made of styrofoam or if it is a paper cup, plastic-lined material thus rendering it non-recycleable.

Alternatives: As mentioned, refuse plastic and take your own to-go mug. You’ll get more liquid to last you through the rest of the morning and some cafes deduct a couple of cents off for a reusable mug. Win-win!

 

Day 7

Say “NO” to plastic single-use food containers. We take leftovers home from restaurants or the office potluck, and it is very likely that they are in disposable plastic containers.

In fact, I have quite a few and they double as storage for when I cook so I’m getting more use out of them but a lot of folks discard these containers once they are done with them.

In addition, some of these containers are styrofoam which takes 500 years to forever to decompose! We might be reincarnated by then and styrofoam would still be stable on Earth. Sheesh!

As a result, New York City announced a styrofoam ban to go into effect on Jan 1, 2019. The law also bans the use of packing peanuts and retailers will have to begin utilizing recycleable alternatives.

Alternatives: Don’t be ashamed to carry a stainless steel container if you know you *might* be bringing leftovers home.

 

Day 8

Refuse plastic samples & freebies. We’ve all been at malls or events lured by young maidens advertising their wares of “free products!”

We scramble to grab the exquisitely decorated and labelled bags full of single-use samples of hair, make-up & skincare product. Yes, ladies (and guys too). You’re guilty too. Lol.

How many times do you open them to find cheap travel toothpaste and products that do not fit your hair or skin type? Disappointed, you chuck them into the nearest bin. Ugh!

It’s tempting not to accept freebies but think of all the extra packaging involved too. It always pains me to chuck these useless products in the bin because they don’t work for me.

Same goes for all the free pens, mouse pads & keyholders. How many do you possibly need!? I have three jars of pens at home…and only two pens were bought by me. The rest are all freebies from networking events.

We should be able to recognize wants and needs and most times, we do not need freebies so why do we grab them?

Verdict: I manage to make it through Week 1 without buying and/or accepting new plastic products. I take my reusable bag, to-go mug, water bottle & lunch to work and I’m rapidly going through my stash of plastic bags that will not be replaced. Might as well use them how I always do instead of discarding them en masse.

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Alas, plastic is still present as material parts in cleaning bottles, make-up & personal care products but there are sustainable alternatives to those that I will write on in the coming weeks.

Let me know if you’ve tried to go plastic-free, are currently plastic-free or will start the challenge.

Comment and share as usual. Thank you! xoxo.

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