Hello all,

We all as citizens of planet Earth are aware of the adverse effects of plastic. Plastic has spared none – our land soils, oceans, ground water, wild life and our own health too! The fact that around eight million tonnes of plastic is dumped into the ocean every year is enough to give chills. With that frequency, by 2050, there will be more plastic than fishes in our ocean. This could mean sole disruption of our environment.

(image source)

(image source)

But we have an option to prevent this dreadful scene. We can reverse the negative climatic changes because of plastic if we adapt little changes into our lifestyle. I have adapted these practices in my day-to-day life and I can’t describe how good it feels!

Let’s see what are some interesting alternatives to plastic we as individuals should start inculcating in our day-to-day lives:

1. Cloth Bags

   Using cloth bags instead of plastic ones is a great way to stop plastic wastage. You can buy them in different sizes and colours. One can even get cloth bags stitched from old bed sheets or curtains. I got myself so many stitched in different bright colours, some with inside pockets to keep valuables or small items!
   Maharashtra state in India has banned use of plastic bags. This decision has  not only put a strict ban on use of plastic but also created job opportunities for many people to make cloth and paper bags for shops and stores. There are also NGOs selling cloth bags at reasonable rates which are handcrafted by women who need jobs or are physically challenged. So, start using cloth bags and never forget to take one with you whenever going out for shopping. You can also keep a few in your vehicle so you don’t have to carry a plastic bag with you back home.

   

   (product link)

2. Avoid buying plastic mineral water bottles

   We have a habit of purchasing super-costly(compared to its value) mineral water bottles and throwing away after consuming the water either because we forget to carry water from home or we completely ignore the fact that we are contributing to more plastic waste. What we should start doing is reminding ourselves of carrying a water bottle whenever we leave home. Trust me, it gives a great feeling to know you don’t have to buy water when you’re thirsty. Inculcating this habit in all family members will go a long way in reducing plastic from the environment.

3. Pretty Bamboo Straws

   We all love drinking coffee, milkshakes and juices every now and then. But how often do we realise we are adding to the hazardous pool of plastic waste by using plastic straws. Just like plastic bags, plastic straws are also hard to remove from the ecosystem. What we can do here? We should start using Bamboo straws! Bamboo straws are an excellent alternative to plastic straws as they are biodegradable. I have got a set of bamboo straws for my home and I encourage others reading this to do the same. Avoid taking plastic straws from the shopkeepers too. Gradually, shops and stores will also stop using them.

   

   (product link)

4. Bamboo Toothbrush

   Just like straws, toothbrushes are something we use on a daily basis and change in every three months. They can be swapped with the eco-friendly bamboo toothbrushes which are totally biodegradable. According the statistics, over 4.7 billion plastic toothbrushes are produced every year which is a lot of plastic. It is time again to embrace our Indian roots and follow our ancestors way of brushing teeth.

5. Prefer refills over buying new containers

   Refills for commodities are always available in stores. So, instead of purchasing a new container every time we need a new one and discarding the older, we should prefer purchasing refills. Our ancestors used to brush their teeth using neem This practice if done by all of us, will certainly reduce lots of plastic production and waste.

6. Replace old plastic containers with Glass ones

   Many kitchens have plastics containers which are harmful for your health if kept for too long. Instead glass containers are not harmful to store spices, pulses or pickles. We should make an effort to de-clutter all the plastic containers in the kitchen and get glass containers instead for longer use.

These were a few points I think can help protect our Mother Earth if adapted by all of us in our lifestyle. It is duty of our generation to maintain and protect our nature for coming the generations. So, lets pledge to reduce use of plastic before even before our government tells us to do so.

If you have any other ideas in which we can reduce use of plastic, please comment below. If you like what I write, please subscribe to get a notification every time I post a new blog.

Stay beautiful and Healthy <3