How to Minimize Plastic Waste

Hello friends,

July 3 is National Plastic Free Day. This day is dedicated to reducing and eliminating the use of plastic bags around the world. Canada in particular throws away around 3.3 million tones of plastic every year and only 9% of it is recycled. I did a bit of research and I wanted to share some statistics on plastic usage:

• It takes about 100 to 500 years for a plastic bag to completely disintegrate
• 1 million plastic bags per minute are used around the world
• We make 5 trillion plastic bags each year
• 80% of marine litter is plastic
• On average, we only use plastic bags for 25 minutes

Isn’t it crazy how much plastic we produce and use? To recognize this day, I encourage you to use alternatives and eco-friendly bags as well as work towards minimizing waste.

Here are some tips to minimize waste:

• Use reusable bags, cups, bottles, straws, and storage containers.
• Avoid single-use items such as plastic cutlery, straws, plates, cups, etc.
• Avoid pre-packaged fruits and vegetables as well as pre-packed breads and baked goods; purchase loose fruits and vegetables, bring your own reusable bags or containers and if available, ask for a paper bag instead. Many single-use plastics are being banned in Canada, so alternatives like paper bags are becoming more readily available.
• Grow your own food; some fruits and vegetables are easy to grow in your own little garden or King’s Community Garden instead of buying them in plastic packaging.
• Compost your food waste.
• Buy in bulk to stock up without the use of extra packaging.
• Don’t forget the three Rs – Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.

With these in mind, find more ways to minimize your waste and move in the direction of a more waste-free life. Educate others on the strain plastic bags has on the environment and encourage one another to do more. Hopefully, these tips will give you a place to start!

All the best,

Erykca