Alive as Always: 5 Easy Tips to Cut Down on Plastic

Lately, I've been slowly transitioning to a low-impact lifestyle. You can probably already tell from this post I uploaded last month. It's been a great process so far and I am quite proud of myself to stick with it as much as I do. Something I've noticed ever since I slowly switched to this lifestyle is the rising level of enthusiasm for it in our society. Many people, such as friends and family, I've noticed, actually do want to cut down on plastic usage and sort waste and, well, do more for the environment. Sometimes it takes them a push or shove to actually do it. Whenever my friends and family see my determination to not use plastic, they tend to follow suit. Of course, we all progress in different pace—some takes longer than others, some takes quicker—but I think as long as we're all moving in the right direction, it's all good. Today I want to share five easy tips anyone can do to slowly faze out plastic from their lives, so that if you felt intimidated before, hopefully this will inspire you.

B.Y.O.B

(Bring Your Own Bag)

One of the most unnecessary but incessant use of plastic is in the form of shopping bags. It's kind of crazy, when you realise how easy it is to not use it. Bringing a spare bag—tote form being my favourite—is an easy, smart and hassle-free move. You can just keep it in your bag—or, if you have a lot, in each and every one of your bags—and take it out only when you go shopping. They are usually lighter, easier to carry and aesthetically pleasing to you. In various countries, including Germany, plastic shopping bags in grocery stores cost quite a lot, so this option can save you a lot of dough in the long run. Of course, you can always take it a step further by bringing your own pouch and/or produce bag for your fruits and veggies, grain goods and nuts and eggs. This way you won't have to use plastic bags at all.

No Straws, Please!

Small plastic objects are among the most hazardous objects that often find their way to sea animals' body parts. I'm sure you're all familiar with the sea turtle incident—if you're not, you should be. I'm sure that when you're sipping on your fresh beverage of choice with that plastic straw, you didn't think it would ever end up hurting an innocent animal after you're done with it. Well, that is just one among the thousands of incidents of plastic being a health hazard to sea creatures. It's ridiculous, isn't it, how the pleasure of sipping a drink for a short period of time can have a dangerous, lasting effect on others? Saying no to them is one great way to stop that. Most of us don't really need them anyway. But, if you can't live without them, there's always the reusable bamboo, glass and stainless steel option you can purchase—it'll last you for years.

Containers at the Ready

When you're going out, I would suggest bringing your own food. Pack a homemade meal and bring it with you as you leave the house. Not only will it reduce your plastic usage significantly, you will also save a large amount of money in the process. You may not realise it, but eating out actually takes a large chunk out of your bank account—slowly, but surely. By cutting down your eating out habit, you also cut down on spendings and waste. However, if you have the hankering for a certain food and/or drinks you can't make at home, there are two ways you can still cut down on plastic. One, you can find a place that is packaging-free—restaurants that use ceramic plates and stainless steel cutlery, for instance. Two, you can bring your own container from home. It'll be hassle-free, takeaway-ready and save the vendor some cash too.

Cutlery Optional

This is actually still somewhat related to the previous point, but slightly different. Takeaway cutlery is usually made out of plastic, and a lot of places that only offer food in paper plates or disposable containers tend to give them out by default. However, not everything you order will necessarily need them. If you, for instance, go to KFC for chicken and rice/fries, you can eat it without cutlery—but it is likely they'll give you one anyway. There are three ways to handle this: one, you opt for the packaging-free—perhaps dine-in restaurants that have reusable cutlery available—or two, you bring your own cutlery from home—there are stainless steel, foldable ones online, if you want a compact option—or three, you simply refuse the cutlery and eat with your hands. It is said that eating with your hands can be great for your bowel movement.

Learn to Walk Away

It can, of course, be hard to try and do something out of the ordinary. Even if you bring your own bags, containers, cutlery and straw, the person on the other side of the counter might not understand your motives and refuse to accommodate your good intentions. However, you mustn't give in. Firstly, naturally, you should be nice to people when you ask them to do you a special favour—yes, special, unfortunately it is not yet the standard—like putting the rice grains in your reusable bags, rather then one of their plastic ones or putting your drink in the glass container you've brought from home. But, if, even after all that, they flat out reject your request, learn to walk away—especially if it's not urgent. So that vendor won't let you use your own glass? Step back, turn around and take your business elsewhere. Some other vendors will surely accept your request—it's not that big a deal.