How to Move Away from Single Use Plastic

Photo by Stephanie McCabe on Unsplash

It’s not news to many that plastic is harming our environment at a rapid speed. Plastic is even ending up in the deepest parts of the ocean, which means we are really in trouble. If you want to live a more plastic-free lifestyle, it’s really not that hard, but it does involve giving up single-use plastics like cups, utensils, straws, and more. Here are some easy ways to get started.

Eating Out

Whether you’re getting take-out, fast food, or sitting at a restaurant, refuse plastic utensils and straws. You can always drink something without a straw or buy a metal one, and if you bring along utensils with you to eat out, you can avoid getting plastic ones.

Parties

When you have a big party, the easiest thing to do is buy a bunch of plastic plates and glasses so you don’t have as much cleaning to do after everyone goes home. But, even though it takes extra time, use real silverware, glasses, and plates to avoid making waste. If you do have a compost, you can find compostable plates that utensils that are easier.

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We threw a low waste party for our family last weekend and it went really well considering my family members are not zero wasters. In the past, I used compostable bamboo plates and bowls when I didn’t have enough of my reusables but we were lucky this time to have found a set at our neighbours garage sale before our party. It worked out perfectly! • I didn’t have time to make food other than a big bowl of blueberry kale salad so we ordered pizza from our local neighbourhood pizzeria and composted the boxes. Not perfect but it was low waste and everyone was happy eating pizza. My parents brought vegan Vietnamese spring rolls in a reusable/recyclable aluminum pan and my two sisters brought appies and dessert in reusable containers. We received some delicious cookies in a recyclable plastic box. Fully appreciated and enjoyed and we recycled the box. No big deal. • For drinks, we made yummy flavoured water in our dispenser with our backyard mint and cucumber, refilled our growlers with beer, and had a couple bottles of wine. We made a bunch of ice in our ice maker, even freezing water in whatever container we had in the house to avoid buying a big bag of ice. There were huge blocks of ice in our ice bucket but 🤷🏻‍♀️. • I found baskets/bins with labels handy for those who are unsure where to put things at a low waste party. Have a basket ready for dirty napkins and let guests know where the dirty dishes and utensils go. Mine just went straight into the sink and dishwasher. We have curbside compost pickup so any bits of food went directly in the bin. We don’t have a garbage bin in the house. There is a bin in the backyard for curbside pickup but it’s usually empty or full of other people’s garbage when their own bins have reached capacity. • That’s it! Yes, you have to do more dishes but everyone helped out and it was very stress-free. It’s never going to be perfect and plastic will inevitably pop up here and there but do your best, stick to your values, and eventually others will take notice and be inspired to make changes. ✌🏻🌱 • #zerowaste #zerowasteliving #zerowasteparty #lowwasteparty #lowwaste #ecofriendly #environmentalism #mindfulliving

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Prepacked

A huge way to get rid of plastic is to stop buying prepacked items, especially vegetables. Instead, buy them from stores that have lose vegetables instead of ones wrapped in plastic.