Commit To Reduce Your Use Of Plastic- We Can Help

Plastic is everywhere. Look around you right now and count the number of things that you know contain plastic. Convenient and cheap, yes. But there are some major pitfalls to living in a plastic world. Plastics can harbor some nasty ingredients, such as phthalates and BPA. And in addition to polluting your body, all that plastic is polluting the planet.
We want to help you ID the most toxic and unnecessary sources like vinyl and single-use plastics, respectively.

The point is really using plastic thoughtfully. If you try to totally eradicate it, you’ll make yourself crazy because it’s in every facet of our lives, some of it beneficially.

Tips To Try

Focus on Food Storage

Recycle worn, scratched, or mismatched and unused food and drink storage containers—worn plastics are more likely to leach chemicals into your food.

Use less plastic cling wrap. Try some fun new products, such as reusable wrap made of beeswax. Reusable glass containers with lids and unbleached waxed paper are also great greener alternatives for storing food. Beware of aluminum foil, though. While you can use and recycle it, it should not come in direct contact with hot foods. A soft metal, aluminum can leach into the food and cross the blood-brain barrier, and it has been linked to neurotoxicity, hormone disruption, and Alzheimer’s disease.

Choose your plastic-free water bottle. Look for one made of food-grade steel (18/8, 18/10, aka 304 grade) and avoid ones with plastic liners. Glass bottles with silicone sleeves are also great options. (Here are some of our favorite plastic-free water bottles options.)

Purchase the proper water filter if your water contains contaminants. Then promise to ditch bottled water for good.

Be done with baggies. Turn to beeswax wraps or even compostable, unbleached paper sandwich and snack bags to kick your plastic sandwich bag habit.

Vow to use safer, reusable food-storage containers. For a complete list, check out these plastic-free storage solutions.

Educate yourself (and your friends and family) on the importance of avoiding “BPA-free” plastics. Many contain chemicals that are in the same class as toxic BPA and could actually be worse for you.

Rethink Your Garbage

Get in the right mind frame. A mindfulness practice will help root you in the moment and ease your urge to buy so much plastic “stuff.” The less plastic stuff you buy, the less you’ll have to throw out later.

Take your own reusable containers for takeout. That way, you’ll never have to feel guilty about all of that #6 plastic (Styrofoam) again.

Reuse any grocery or shopping bags you already have on hand. They make great liners for smaller wastebaskets (and dog poop picker-uppers)

Empty smaller wastebaskets into a larger trash can so that you don’t have to throw away the bag used to line the smaller basket.

Become a human trash compactor: Break down bulky cartons by pressing or stomping on them so you can fit more into each trash bag. That way, you use fewer plastic trash bags over time. You could even invest in a trash compactor.

Start making a conscious effort when making a purchase to look for products with the least amount of packaging.

Keep yard and garden waste and compostable food waste out of your trash cans so you use drastically fewer big plastic garbage bags over the span of a year. Compost that waste instead!

Clean Up Your Hygiene

Swear off microbeads. Check the labels of exfoliating products like face scrubs and your current toothpaste and make sure they don’t list ingredients like polyethylene and polypropylene.

Make your own skin-care products. Forget microbeads. For very little money, you can whip up your own homemade nontoxic cleansers and exfoliators.

Phase out phthalates. These plasticizing chemicals are used to make scents, beauty products, and personal care products stick to you longer. They’re also toxic. Avoid anything that lists “fragrance” or “parfum” on the label.

Look for more sustainable toothbrushes that allow you to replace only the head. That way, you won’t have to throw away the entire plastic toothbrush when the head is worn out.