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Sep 7th, 2022 by Admin

How can you reduce plastic waste at home

Even though we know that it will not be possible to eliminate plastic waste from our lives overnight, there are plenty of ways you can begin making a positive impact on the environment in your home that will help reduce the amount of plastic waste in your home. 

In the aftermath of all that plastic being used up, what will happen to it? In the world, only about 9% of plastic produced is recycled, so more and more plastic ends up in our landfills or ends up in our oceans as litter. 

The problem may seem simple enough if we could just snap our fingers and solve it, but it’s not as easy as that. The first step we can take is to change what we can in our own household. This is a first step that can kickstart a positive change in how plastic is disposed of within our society. 

We need to ensure to dump the plastic the right way. If you find it difficult to put bins in order to avoid plastic litter in your houses or society you can hire residential bin rental services.  

You can start using plastic-free alternatives.  

You should always take your household changes one step at a time in order to avoid overwhelming yourself. Once you feel comfortable switching one thing, then you can switch to another when it feels right for you. Depending on your lifestyle and budget, you should make your way through the list based on its relevance to your needs. 

There is no doubt that making small changes like using a glass jar, paper bags, cloth bags, disposable bottles, and cardboard boxes, not only helps you to reduce plastic pollution at home but adds to your contribution as well.  

We have listed some ways to reduce plastic to make it easy for you. Plastic use is not only harmful to the environment but for you as well. 

Reduce the amount of plastic you use for personal care 

Shampoo Bars and wooden combs

Many people overlook the fact that shampoo bottles are recyclable. The average number of people who recycle bathroom items on a regular basis is only 1 in 7. Therefore, due to the fact that most people focus on reusing items in the kitchen, we are creating a lot of unnecessary waste as a result. 

Almost every plastic bottle is recyclable. However, make sure you keep them clean and empty so they are not contaminated with shampoo residue. This can be harmful to your health. 

The better solution to the problem is to eliminate the problem of plastic waste from the equation entirely. This is a better option than falling into the trap of neglecting to recycle that bottle. There are also a lot of different options out there for shampoo bars, which are gaining a lot of popularity lately. 

Almost every store that sells hairbrushes usually has natural hairbrushes, which is a very easy way to reduce plastic waste. In most beauty stores, you can find combs. A wooden comb is not only environmentally friendly, but it also benefits your hair in the long run. 

Use Metal Razors without hesitation

Metal Razors

A simple old-school fix will do the trick. There is no need to add to the landfill by using a reusable plastic razor. Instead, you can buy a metal razor that will likely last you a lifetime instead of adding to plastic waste. This will also help you save money in the long term. 

Take a second and look at your deodorant

Containers used for deodorant are one of the most difficult items to recycle. Due to the fact that they often contain a number of different types of plastic, most areas will not be able to accept them. In order to recycle plastics successfully, they must be recycled with the same kind of plastic. This means mixed plastic items that are unable to be separated on a conveyor belt, will end up in landfills. 

Deodorant packaging should be biodegradable, compostable, or recyclable. 

Take a different approach to your menstrual routine

Most sanitary pads are either made from plastic or have a plastic lining on one or both sides. In addition to that, they come in individual plastic packaging that is individually sealed.  Period underwear, reusable fabric pads, and menstrual cups are just a few of the products that have emerged in recent years to reduce plastic waste for your menstrual routine. They come with plastic-free packaging. 

Say bye-bye to a plastic toothbrush, dental floss, toothpaste, and mouthwash. Switch to the healthier and plastic-free alternative.

No plastic toothbrush

In the US alone, it is estimated that approximately one billion toothbrushes are thrown away each year because they are no longer useful. If you switch over to a bamboo toothbrush, you will be able to reduce this plastic waste significantly. Despite its composability, bamboo takes a significantly shorter amount of time to decompose in landfills than compostable bamboo. 

A bamboo toothbrush’s bristles are one of the most critical things to watch for when buying it. Some of these brushes will still be made from plastic. There are even those brands that offer replacement bristles so that you will not have to replace your entire brush. As opposed to those that use natural fibers, there are some that use the whole brush after washing it and then dispose of it. 

A polymer item that is often overlooked is dental floss. Due to their small size, It is easy to overlook them as a plastic waste problem, but they are still plastic waste. If you switch over to silk dental floss, then you will be able to fix this problem. 

The plastic tubes used for toothpaste are not recyclable, and even if they were, maintaining the cleanliness and emptiness of these tubes would be an inconvenience. If you switch to toothpaste tablets or powder, then you will be able to reduce the amount of plastic waste you produce. A lot of companies making this type of product are using a more eco-friendly, natural material in order to make sure that it has the same clean feeling on your teeth, but they are often utilizing a better quality, environmentally pleasant product. 

When it comes to oral hygiene, you can be even more environmentally friendly if you use chewable mouthwash in order to reduce your plastic waste.  Don’t forget to read the label to see if it’s swallowable. Plastic packaging waste can be eliminated from your home with the help of these products. 

Your cleaning products should contain less plastic 

Natural Sponges and dissolvable soap tablets

Natural Sponges and dissolvable soap tablets ​

Dishes need to be washed, but those sponges we use for that purpose are made of plastic, so we know they are not safe. No one uses these plastic cleaning sponges for more than a week or two. Due to the fact that they cannot be recycled, they are destined to be thrown away in landfills. Consider how much plastic waste is generated if every household threw away one plastic kitchen sponge every week. Think of how much plastic waste is generated by just one item! 

In order to reduce the amount of plastic that gets thrown away, the best solution is to switch to a different kind of sponge. There are two types of sponges that you can choose from walnut sponges and coconut sponges, both of which have a scouring pad on one side. Instead, try natural sponges, regular dishrags, or Swedish dishtowels, which are washable or biodegradable.  

To make things easier, you can prefer refilling your soap bottles or even use now available dissolvable tablets. Just imagine how much more convenient it would be for you if you filled up your dispenser with water, dropped in a tablet, and shook it to dissolve it! 

Dishwashing detergent

Dishwashing detergent

There has been a significant increase in the use of plastic in the field of dishwashing. It isn’t just the big plastic bottles that most options come in, but also the dissolvable pods that have plastic. We intentionally introduce plastic into our water through many means, but this seems obvious. 

When microplastics get into our water supply, and eventually our food chain, they pose so many risks. Just because you don’t have to worry about packaging, detergent pods aren’t eco-friendly. Plastic waste can be reduced by switching to cardboard containers. 

Avoid Wet Wipes

Avoid Wet Wipes 

Plastic is sneakily incorporated into wet wipes. While they may look like paper towels or even cloths at first glance, they are in fact made up of a mixture of plastics, similar to the material of a paper towel. Also, there are a lot of products on the market that claim that they can be flushed, but nobody in the world will tell you that that is the best course of action. When flushed, they cause a huge clogging problem. Plastics are also added to our groundwater when we flush these plastic items. 

Towels, rags, and cleaning solutions are more effective than wet wipes and disinfectant wipes around the house. 

Reduce the amount of plastic waste you generate while dining 

Invest in a Reusable Water Bottle, and reusable coffee cup

Reusable Water Bottle, and reusable coffee cup 

For the last 30 years or so, disposable plastic water bottles have become the norm in terms of water bottles. There are over one million plastic bottles used every single day in the world! It is estimated that only a small fraction of these materials are recycled. You can even shift to glass bottles.  

Having a reusable bottle with you at all times can be one of the easiest ways for you to reduce plastic waste in your home and while on the go. The use of plastic bottles is one of the leading contributors to the contamination of our water supply with microplastics. 

Coffee shops generate enormous amounts of disposable plastic waste. Reusable travel or coffee cup would solve this issue as well. Despite looking like paper, disposable coffee cups contain plastic linings. 

Reusable Containers and disposable cutlery

Tupperware, being a plastic container, significantly reduces plastic waste even though it is made from plastic. Tupperware is reusable over and over again, reducing the amount of plastic waste. Use old butter jars or glass jars for your lunch and old sour cream jars for your salad. You can always reuse old glass containers. You can even prefer stainless steel containers as well.  

Forks, spoons, and knives can be repurposed every day in your desk drawer if you do not disposable plastic cutlery. You can carry your own cup at all times with you. 

There can be a lot of packaging that comes with takeout food. In the case that you get black plastic containers, they cannot be recycled, so you should repurpose them, or you might be able to donate them to a food pantry if they accept donations of that kind. In spite of the fact that you may order takeout in cardboard containers, they still run the risk of becoming contaminated with grease and food while being recycled as they may contain contaminants in them. 

 Avoid plastic cutlery and condiment packets. Your meal will have less plastic waste. You can even carry your own containers for extra or leftover food. 

Avoid Straws

Avoid straws

We see that the plastic straw ban is sweeping the country at the moment, so this seems obvious. As an alternative to plastic straws, there are many options available now and many fast-food establishments have made the switch to using paper straws instead. 

Beeswax Wraps

Since plastic wrap is so ingrained in how we store food, you might not even notice it. Beeswax wraps are a great plastic-free alternative for covering bowls or storing vegetables in the refrigerator. 

Invest in Sustainable Products 

Make sure you bring your own bags

Paper bags

There are a lot of problems associated with plastic shopping bags when it comes to recycling. Most grocery stores have recycling drop-off locations where you can bring your items for recycling. However, you will not be able to place them in your curbside pick-up. Increasingly, there are also bans on the use of plastic bags popping up everywhere. Use reusable bags at the grocery store to reduce plastic waste now, and get used to this inevitable change. So try and always carry your own reusable produce bags.  

Plastic-Free Packaging

Plastic is so common in our products now that it’s almost impossible to stay plastic-free. Plastic packaging has become more harmful to our environment as more companies realize its harmful effects, and natural materials are becoming more affordable, resulting in a return to plastic-free packaging. 

 Wear Natural Materials

Increasingly disposable clothing contributes to textile waste. Globally, textile waste generates 92 million tons. The majority of those things are made of plastic. However, if you look at the labels on your clothing, you may see a very small percentage of items that are made from 100% natural materials. Plastic is also commonly found in thread and labels. 

Switch to Cloth Diapers

The amount of non-biodegradable waste present in landfills is currently 30% due to disposable diapers. As we all know, one of the most significant aspects of reducing plastic waste in our landfills is switching from disposable diapers to cloth diapers. 

Natural Baby Toys

woden toy

Wooden and natural baby toys are a good alternative to plastic toys. As babies put all toys in their mouths, it is a healthier option to choose a wooden toy rather than one made of plastic. 

Take Away 

I feel exhausted just thinking about how much plastic waste we create every day! Rather than becoming overwhelmed with too many things at once, it is wise to take things one at a time. On your next shopping trip, you will be able to identify where you can have the most eco-impact by referring to this list. You can reduce the amount of plastic waste in your home significantly if you keep this list in mind when making choices for future purchases. Once everyone starts reducing waste in their homes, there will be a visible difference in the environment. 

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