If you don’t already know…plastic is ruining our eco-systems (specifically microplastics). They have also recently been found in the air we breathe and even rain !!

Microplastics are basically tiny pieces of plastic that comes from larger plastic products that disintegrate. They can come from exfoliants (microbeads = not good!), food containers, clothing and many more products.

These are some ways that you can reduce the use of plastic in your daily life:

1. Stop using straws. If it is a must at a restaurant, ask if they have a paper option or invest in your own metal or silicon straw to take with you. (these usually come in bulk and are very affordable)

2. Ditch the plastic produce bags at the grocery store. These bags are great, store them with your reusable grocery bags so you have them with every trip you make to the grocery store.

3. Packing lunch/leftovers in glass or ceramic containers is better for the environment and your health. Heating up food in plastic containers is not recommended (this is a whole other blog all together…stay tuned for that one!)

4. Use reusable snack bags to pack snacks on the go. I really like this brand of bags. They come in all different sizes as well, anything you would use a plastic bag for (even freezer bags) this is a great option.

5. Get rid of the plastic wrap! Another kitchen “staple” that can be banished for good! I LOVE beeswax wrap. Not only is it eco-friendly, it keeps food fresh for much longer than plastic wrap.

6. Buy anything you can in bulk and reuse containers to reduce packaging waste.

7. If going to a restaurant, bring your own containers for taking leftover’s home instead of using their plastic or styrofoam containers.

8. Thrift shopping is very eco-friendly and reduces the amount of clothing in landfills. When purchasing new clothes or fabric products, look for brands that are made with cotton, linen, hemp and wool.

9. Use a reusable cup when ordering your daily coffee or tea and try and remember to use a reusable (preferably metal or glass) water bottle.

10. Last but not least, this one is simple…stop purchasing plastic stuff!

We could go on and on about this, there are SO many ways to reduce your plastic usage. The most important part is being aware of the issue and then implementing the steps to help reduce how much plastic we are using. The numbers are big, and it may seem “useless” because you are “only one person”, but if everyone takes the initiative to reduce how much plastic we are using, then hopefully by 2050 our oceans won’t contain more plastic than fish!

Check out the links in the post for more info about microplastics. Also, i posted this link on our Facebook Page but I will post it here as well. It is a video and some info about plastic in our oceans, there is a lot of really great info in here to share with others.