Do you know why we should reduce our use of plastic from now? There are a lot of reasons, but just to tell you a few: only 9% of plastic has ever been recycled; plastic can take up to a thousand years to biodegrade; plastic requires the use of fossil fuels to manufacture, which means more carbon emissions; one sea turtle out of two has ingested plastic, while 90% of the world’s sea birds have fragments of plastic in their stomachs.
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The billions upon billions of items of plastic waste choking our oceans, lakes, and rivers and piling up on land are more than unsightly and harmful to plants and wildlife. The amount of plastic in the ocean just keeps growing. Every minute, one garbage truck of plastic is dumped into our oceans. The world population is growing every year. Can you imagine how much damage can make this to our planet?
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According to Ellen MacArthur Foundation report launched at the World Economic Forum, if things don't change, by 2050 there will be more plastic in the oceans than fish (by weight). It is hard to believe on it, but it will happen, even before if we don't change our habits.
But how can we cut our plastic waste? In different ways. However, to have a simple start we can:
- Carry a shopping bag and avoid to get new plastic bags;
- Carry a reusable bottle;
- Say no to plastic straws and use a reusable option when necessary;
- Use a reusable coffee cup;
- Avoid excessive food packaging (it is easier when shopping in street markets and bulky shops);
- Say no to disposable cutlery, always carrying your own with you.
- Find many other valuable tips on the I'm Plastic-Free platform
Let’s be thankful for this beautiful planet we call home and take care of its natural resources and animals, since we cannot survive without them.