It seemed like it happened all of a sudden: Carrying around a reusable drinking straw has always been the right thing to do, but now it's the cool thing to do. Everyone has one floating around in their bag these days (and has subsequently Instagrammed about it, of course).
Even behemoths like Starbucks are on board, planning to ban plastic straws from their stores. We could complain that this should've been a thing a long time ago, but it's better late than never to reduce our plastic use.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, "Trash, packaging, and improperly disposed waste from sources on land accounts for 80 percent of the marine debris found on beaches during clean-ups and surveys. Furthermore, one-third to two-thirds of the debris we catalogue on beaches comes from single-use, disposable plastic packaging from food and beverage-related goods and services."
Straws happen to be the villain of the moment, but there's a lot of other plastic stuff we should—and can! —cut back on. We've rounded up 10 super simple (we promise!) ways to reduce your plastic use so there are no excuses, found through the EPA, the Green Education Foundation, the World Wildlife Fund, and a few other eco-minded sources.
1. Don't just BYO grocery bag, BYO produce bags
There's no need to be tearing endless plastic bags off that roll in the produce aisle for your apples and tomatoes. Instead, stuff some reusable drawstring muslin bags in your Trader Joe's tote for fruit and veggie storage. These ones from Amazon are only $10 for a 12-pack.
2. Buy in bulk
Speaking of your trip to the grocery store, make the bulk food section one of your first stops. Grains, beans, and nuts do come pre-packaged, but in this aisle, you can use your handy muslin bags to carry the ingredients home plastic-free.
3. Make a quick switcheroo in the dairy aisle
Milk comes in both plastic jugs and cardboard containers. Opt for the (recyclable!) latter and go on your way. (P.S. This option may present itself elsewhere in the supermarket; follow the same rule.)
4. Treat yourself and dine in
The simplest way to avoid takeout containers and cutlery is to just not do takeout. Eat your blueberry muffin at the bakery on your way to the office. Sit down and enjoy your sandwich at the diner you typically pick it up from. Twenty minutes away from your desk isn't going to kill you, and it's definitely better for the environment.
5. Or at least bring your own drinking vessel
If you have a lidded mason jar sitting in your cupboard, you have yourself a travel coffee mug. (Thanks for the tip, Reading My Tea Leaves!) Hand it over to the barista when you order and you might even get a discount for your trouble. And if you'd rather shell out a few bucks on a container that'll keep your java (or tea or water) the exact right temp, Epicurious tested 16 to determine the best of the best.
6. Invest in re-usable sandwich and snack bags
Stop worrying about the idea of another thing to clean. Bumkins's collection of reusable snack bags are machine-washable and dishwasher-safe.
7. Toss the plastic wrap
Add some beeswax wrap to your next Amazon Prime order instead. It'll keep cheese, fruit, vegetables, and bread just as fresh as its plastic cousin, but its' totally compostable. (This beeswax wrap is made of organic cotton, sustainably harvested beeswax, organic jojoba oil, and tree resin.)
8. Make your own cleaning supplies
Why buy ten plastic bottles of household cleaners when you could just use one? Make a multipurpose concoction with a few superpower ingredients from your pantry and pour it into a single spray bottle. (Martha Stewart swears by various mixtures of baking soda, water, and dishwashing liquid.)
9. Swap garbage bags for newspaper
That's right, Treading My Own Path blogger Lindsay Miles lines her smaller wastebaskets with a few sheets of an old newspaper. Head here to see her tutorial.
10. Decline dry-cleaning bags
Finally, a time when it's totally OK to brag about being a do-gooder. "Let your friends and family know what you’re doing and help them get involved. Write letters to companies that over-package and tell them you’re concerned about this issue," the EPA says on its site. One of the first businesses that comes to mind is the dry cleaner—if you're anything like us, you're constantly wrangling with the single-use plastic garment bags your clean clothes come back in. Speak up! Ask if you can forgo them entirely. (Or if you really need something to protect your things from the outside world, transport your clothing in a reusable bag like those from Green Garmento.)
