Plastic Pollution

The 411 on Plastic Pollution

Simply put, plastic is a threat to this little blue planet that we all call home.  Less than 10% of plastic is recycled globally and it takes about 400 years to break down.¹ Plastic has only been around for 70 years¹ but it’s estimated that there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean by 2050.²  As someone who loves and appreciates nature’s beauty, that statement is heart breaking to me and I sure don’t want to be a part of the problem.  It’s next to impossible to totally eliminate plastic from your life but there are easy ways to reduce your plastic use.

What is Plastic Free July?

Every year in July, millions of people in 177 countries take part in a solution to reduce plastic pollution so we can have cleaner streets, communities, rivers, lakes and oceans.

Making a small change to reduce your everyday single-use plastic can make a massive difference in our communities!

Where to Start?

Join the plastic free community at www.plasticfreejuly.org.  They have a ton of resources available for beginners that are just becoming aware of plastic pollution to more experienced plastic free’ers.  

The top 3 easiest things to remove from your every day life:

1. Say no to plastic straws at restaurants!
2. Stop buying bottled water.  Bring your own water bottle with you everywhere you go.
3. Bring your own bags with you to the grocery store and farmer’s markets

What did I remove this year?

I’ve been doing plastic free July for several years.  I started with the basics listed above.  Every year, I try to remove more and more plastic from my every day life.

This year, I found glass food storage containers with bamboo lids and silicone seals. Bonus: the lids can also be used as cutting boards!

Nummyware Plastic-free Glass Food Containers

Lids can be used as cutting boards!

Reusable Beeswax Wrap

Use the bee’s wrap just like your plastic wrap.  You can rinse the bee wrap and use it over and over.  My grandma would’ve loved this.  She lived through the dust bowl and great depression in Oklahoma so we didn’t get rid of anything in our house!  She was the queen of “reuse”.

Silicone Food Storage Bags

You use these just like your plastic zip bags except you throw these in the dishwasher and use them over and over instead of throwing them in the trash.

Some of my other plastic free items include:

Xtremeglas Water Bottle

I take this with me when I travel.  I fill it up at the airport and I’m good to go for several hours!  

Bamboo Straws

When I was in Bali 2 years ago I used bamboo straws and I haven’t stopped using them!

Reusable Produce Bags

Instead of using those plastic bags in the grocery store for your produce, take these with you!

  

Charcoal Body Bar

This isn’t just for the fellas.  I use the Counterman Charcoal Body Bar myself.  It smells amazing and it’s EWG (environmental working group) verified, meaning its ingredients are among the safest! It comes in a recyclable paper box.

Countertime Skincare

This is the Ferrari of anti-aging skincare and its safe/clean ingredients and glass packaging make it a winner in my book!  This is the skincare that I use daily.

Favorite environmental Netflix Documentaries!

Down to Earth with Zac Effron

A Plastic Ocean

If you can’t tell, reducing plastic pollution is a passion of mine.  I hope you found some valuable information in this post.  And remember, reduce, reuse, recycle!

1. WWF – “The Lifecycle of Plastics“

2. Ellen Macarthur Foundation – “New Plastics Economy Report”

This post contains some affiliate links and I may be compensated, but all opinions are my own and I only share products that I use and love. Thank you for all your support!