7 Effective habits that can” End Plastic Pollution”: Earth Day 2018

By: Naureen Fatima

Breakup with Plastic today   

Concerns about the plastic pollution and their harmful impacts on health and environmental hazards of microplastics are now strongly observed. A surprising fact shows that plastic production has increased from 15million tonnes in 1964 to 311 million tonnes in 2014 and this number is will become double within next twenty years in a business as usual scenario. Due to non-degradable nature of plastics, they could not be disposed of properly. Due to significant harmful impacts of plastics on the environment, this year Earth Day Network has decided the theme of Earth Day, 22nd April 2018 “End Plastic Pollution”. Thus, following 7effective habits can be applied in your daily lives to reduce plastic pollution.

1. Discourage yourself from disposable plastics

Ninety percent plastic goods in our daily lives are utilized once and then dumped i.e., straws, plastic wrap, disposable cutlery, grocery bags. Make a list of these products and substitute them to reusable and recyclable ones. It takes a short time span to bring your own bags, cutlery to your workplaces before it develops to a habit.

2. Stop buying water

Each year, near about 20 billion plastic bottles  are thrown into the trash. Try to carry a reusable bottle along with yourself when you are going out for from home. If you’re anxious about the quality of local tap water, look for a model with a filter system for purification of water.

3. Boycott microbeads

The little plastic scrubbers found in many beauty products i.e. face scrubs, toothpaste, shower gels, might look might look harmless, but their tiny minute mass allow them to pass through water treatments. These tiny particles affect directly to marine life. Replace them with natural beauty products i.e., natural exfoliants such as oatmeal, salt etc.

4. Encourage, cooking more

Try to cook your own food, because it’s not only healthier but also your own meal doesn’t require any takeout container or bags. It will reduce the consumption of plastic cutlery. Bring your own cutlery with yourself even when you eat outside restaurants. It will reduce consumption of plastic disposable package for food.

5. Support a tax or plastic ban

Address the harmful impacts of plastic to elected officials of your country and convince them to introduce and support legislation that makes the plastic bag consumption least desirable.

6. Buy in bulk

Make a list of goods that you buy often in your daily lives i.e., single-serving yogurts, tissue rolls, detergents etc. Then always select the bigger container and buy these products in bulk instead of single serving in order to reduce plastic bags consumption

7. Create awareness about Plastic Pollution

Start creating awareness through social media, advocacy sessions among, universities, colleges, schools in order to highlight the damages of plastic pollution on our planet and reducing its consumption. By opting these above habits, the extent of plastic pollution can be reduced in the environment.