Reduce Your Plastic Use

We all know that plastic is a problem. Just look at the Great Pacific Garbage Patch! That’s 1.6 million square kilometers of trash that’s mostly not biodegradable sitting in the Pacific Ocean! What can we do? One bottle at a time, we can save the planet.

We need to stop using single-use plastic. Single-use plastics are made primarily from fossil fuel-based chemicals and are meant to be discarded right after use. Single-use plastics are commonly used for bottles, wrappers, straws, bags, and eating utensils. Here are just a few suggestions to help you reduce your plastic use.

Shop Smarter

When you’re doing the grocery shopping, a lot of your list is probably items packaged in plastic. Reduce your personal waste and plastic consumption! Choose fresh, whole foods that are not heavily packaged — your diet will become a lot healthier as a bonus! And don’t forget your reusable shopping bags.

For everyday essentials for your whole house, order from a company that has zero waste shipping on all orders, like Package Free!

Pack for a Picnic

For your next trip, throw some reusable eating utensils in your bag. Forego the plastic at the restaurants along the way. Use your everyday forks, knives, and spoons, or invest in an eco-friendly set of bamboo cutlery. Not sure what to look for? Treehugger recently reviewed reusable utensils. Find the right set for your family!

Eco-Friendly Personal Care

Did you know that dental floss takes 200 years to decompose? Your toothbrush will take 500 years! Don’t even ask about toothpaste tubes. Believe it or not, there are organic alternatives that work just as well.

Look for organic, silk dental floss, toothpaste tablets, and bamboo toothbrushes. And while you’re buying those, you can pick up some bamboo/cotton swabs, shampoo and conditioner bars, and some bamboo band-aids, too.

Reusables

Some moving companies have “green trucks” that are powered by biodiesel, ethanol, or compressed natural gas. These are a great choice for eco-conscious individuals. If you’re moving locally and using your own transportation, pack efficiently and you’ll have to make fewer trips between locations.

Recycle

Replace your daily trip to the vending machine with some delicious water from a reusable bottle and a snack in an eco-friendly reusable bag. Use microfiber cleaning cloths and woven hand towels. Grab some reusable cloth pads for removing your makeup. Grab some pretty refillable hand soap dispensers for the bathrooms. Wear natural fabrics. You get the idea.

And if you’re doing a major renovation, cleaning the garage, or decluttering, let Simply Dumpsters help you reduce your use of plastic garbage bags. Call 888-404-2202 to rent a roll-off dumpster.