💡 In what ways are you trying to minimize plastic in the world? 😔 Correction: at 3:18 I meant to say "million" instead of "billion" 👍 Consider commenting and liking!!! It really helps this video beat the pesky algorithm!
There are options here like bulkfood stores and buying more local and seasonal stuff but those are generally more expensive. As a student it's too expensive to consume more ethically, paying rent is hard enough. That said, I have been vegan for a while and vegetarian before that for most of my life. I don't buy clothes if I don't need them and prefer to buy them second-hand. I try to be consious of high climate impact things like electronics so not buying a new phone too often, use things until they can't be easily maintained and fixed anymore.
I’ve recently made two swaps. The first was to stop buying milk alternatives packaged in Tetra Pak cartons. Our local council has collected cartons for recycling for a few years, I always knew they were a problem, so when the council announced they would now end up at waste to heat facilities, that was my prompt to stop buying them. And happily, here in the UK, the old fashioned milk deliveries never went away. We now get oat milk in glass bottles delivered by an EV, the bottles get reused on average 25 times. The oat milk, made by Oato, is absolutely delicious too! The other swap was to an online food company that has a growing range of zero waste food items. The deliveries are sent out in reused plastic crates and all of the food is in reused plastic pots. Both swaps cost a little bit more, but then again there’s less trips to the supermarket and I’m not picking up as many things on a whim.
Cutting out fast fashion is a big one. Most of the clothes at H&M are literally made of oil. I buy clothes second-hand and buy loose produce at the store.
Meanwhile, in another classroom at the same university, they tech us that consumers make rational choices, Well, I'm not sure today, but it was like that way up to 2009.
I'd like to see more discussion about how marketing is just another construct to reinforce capitalist structures. It's more problematic than gets discussed.
@@thecrazygainerguy Marketing and advertising undermine the basic principles people use to justify capitalism and "free markets", but no supporter of those ideas seems to care about it.
@@1ucasvb marketers and business majors are the parasites of the country. Their jobs are basically to artificially raise the value of products via convincing people that their products are worth more than it actually is, a lot of times they use deceptive means to do so. They save company costs and hence make the ones in power more profit, NOT customer costs, aka working class.
Holy cow. "Companies have placed the burden on the consumers" Yes, individuals can make a change, but if One company makes a change, it will be a lot bigger
it's still ultimately up to individuals, but the problem is advertisement, misinformation, diversion and manipulation of consumers by companies. it's a complete fool's errand to try to tell a company that it should stop doing the very thing it exists for under the current economic system: the maximization of profit. so there's really two options in regards to channeling efforts for things to improve: - working on spreading information and awareness, effectively impacting consumer demand. - campaigning for an overhaul of the economic system. expecting the cogs of a company to suddenly turn the other way any time soon because people wish for them to so will get us nowhere.
At times point we ALL have to do whatever we can to solve this problem, yes big companies play a huge part in this but they exist because they have consumers. If no one would support them anymore they couldn’t exist. So governments should step in and force companies to change their ways, but we as individuals can also make huge changes by becoming aware of how we spend our money and who we are supporting
Honestly if companies decided to stop using plastics, the plastic would not be a problem. but they prefer making more profit since it's cheaper. simply Capitalism.
Those are mostly Tetra Pak cartons. The man that started the business became a billionaire, and meanwhile millions of people’s lives are just that little bit worse thanks to the pollution from those laminated monsters. Are you in the UK? If you are, I can heartily recommend Oato milk. Delivered to your door in reused glass pint bottles, really tasty stuff. Or maybe try making it yourself? I tried before going the milk delivery route, looked at a few tutorials here on RU-vid, but it’s definitely a bit more involved than just blending oats and water.
Long-time viewer here. I voted for a different title, but I have to say - after watching the video - the current title really fits. Plastic pollution really IS so much worse than I even imagined. It's horrifying, really.
I've been to the US a few times and was stunned, each time, to find that your use of plastic products keeps going up instead of down. In Europe, we've been on the opposite trend for quite a few years already. The amount of plastic a tourist is forced to 'consume' on a daily basis in the US is staggering, infuriating, devastating, shocking, maddening, and just plain insane. I'm hoping such amazing videos will have at least some effect on consumers, no matter where in the world they live.
@@sarjulia I went to the Dominican Republic and the resort had water saving toilots, reusing paper towels program, bamboo planted, plants on buildings, recycled coral to make buildings, paper straws, wooden disposable utensils, and the resort even produced goods in a sustainable way. I am now going on a vacation to my home country AMERICA. So I can compare which country uses more plasticm
@@NewOldObsession came to write this... In a small store in Japan when you buy a rice triangle you get the multi-layered plastic wrapping of the triangle itself, plus a plastic bag, plus a small, plastic-based, plastoc-wrapped wet handkerchief, plus sometimes plastic-wrapped chopsticks... YAAAAAHHH!! And that's even before the gift-giving culture with all the wrappings and bags!
There should be something like a sequel to "thank you for smoking", talking about exactly this plastics problems and recycling scams named "Thank You For Wrapping"
This is so important, but it's so difficult to feel like we can do anything under the crushing existential weight of it all. I want to do so much more.
That’s true. We as individuals really can’t do much, however, if you start changing yourself and do what you can then the people around you will then follow suit. By talking to others, and educating them, soon the world will start changing too and the crushing influence of the plastics industry will become another old memory. Climate strikes are happening quite frequently around the world, and people are taking pollution more seriously. I know it’s not exactly world changing but, by doing the best you can instead of letting this existential crisis hit you into apathy, then you’re really doing something. And it gives a little bit of hope, even if it’s ultimately insignificant.
If the recycling industry is a scam, we could invent an at home appliance to convert out used plastic back into pellets and sell them directly to manufaturers, it's the production of new plastic and the disuse of used plastic that's the problem, the actual forming of and using of plastic is not.
The only thing you can really do is avoid plastics at all costs (starting a garden is the way to go, otherwise farmers markets usually let you bring your own reusable bags) and spread the message to stop using plastics. There’s a quote that goes “every soul is like a raindrop that falls into the vast ocean of consciousness, most raindrops hit the surface and make a small ripple that fades away… but some ripples become waves.” It’s up to you to choose to help save this planet and everyone else will follow in time:)
@@khankhattak. as well as keeping the one you already have for as long as possible. My previous smartphone lasted me 7 years while other people change phones at least every other year... It seems crazy to me. Unless you're an app or a smartphone tech developer or something on those lines, almost nobody should change phones that often. So, please, use what you already have and research beforehand what you'll buy in the future (in terms of quality and reparability), you'll safe money and reduce the waste and environmental impact of producing a new phone (or whatever it is your replacing) if you buy something that will last and that can be easily repaired or upgraded if need be.
@@LoveToday8 correct, EVs, pollute big time: factories, batteries, mining for lithium, electric power plants. I fear for earth and its animals that are going extinct.
Glad to see you here , your videos show the self sufficient lifestyle that eliminates plastics and the need to be dependent on government for anything , while a better life .☮
And yet in an engineering school I've heard a plastics teachers say "Plastic doesn't pollute at all", as to say the product in itself doesn't cause any pollutions (I suppose he was doing the link with gas emissions...). This kind of misinformation must end. Great video as always.
One of the craziest single use plastics I know of is tea bags, the fact that paper tea bags has micro plastic in it is ridiculous. One of my personal goals is to reduce my use of single use plastics and switch to reusable non plastic items (or long use plastic if more practical).
@@karolinakuc4783 That is something I am working on. The trick is finding alternative venders for tea flavors I love. I've been drinking more coffee this year and haven't made it a major priority yet
every time i watch a video related to climate change i always feel terrible and hopeless. it's so mental draining. will we ever be able to save our planet? the ones who can actually make a change couldn't care less about this. more often than not i feel like ignoring everything i know about this topic and just focus on doing things that bring me joy :(
I've been struggling with this too. Although it's depressing, I've resigned myself to the fact that things are going to get bad especially for those of us that are younger. I also know that at the rate at which pandemics are going to happen, the infertility rates, and also the rate at which pollution is killing people, we are probably going to go extinct within the next 100 years or at least decrease significantly in numbers. It's going to take some Ice Ages and environmental cycles but life will find a way to get to a new normal. We just need to find a way to help decrease our footprint and actually help the environment and it'll bounce back. It took me a long time to fully realize this but I don't get as anxious anymore. I'm just going to do my absolute best to improve the Earth and leave when it's my time
Joy is important too! You can't carry the world's weight on your shoulders all alone, you can only do your bit as best as you can. Others are there to share the load. Doing things that make you happy on a regular basis is the best you can do. How would you have the energy to tackle climate issues otherwise? It's ok to turn away once in a while for some good self care ;) That's what helps me.
My parents and grandparents got along just fine without plastic. Glass, cloth, paper, wood, metal, were the materials used for everything. Goods were sold and advertized as long-lasting, now every thing has a life of 6 mos - 2 years.
Its really amazing how you are producing these and always with the message in the end being, do direct action. There is so much thought and work in each of the videos.
US companies talk about ramping up their plastic production. Meanwhile: "EU bans 10 most common single-use plastic items found on beaches" Great Video, maybe you open some peoples eyes!
I was always content with returnable containers. And when I was a kid and we went on picnics or other outings, we only had regular utensils. No plastic spoons, forks, foam plates or cups. Never felt it was a problem or an inconvenience. Still had a great time.
@@OnesFan1 I don't mean to discourage people from individual actions int heir sphere of influence. Limiting personal plastic use is a good thing to do. As are other individual actions. But as long as the companies don't follow, it will be like a droplet on a hot plate
I am looking forward to the episode _Why Paid Content Is Even Worse Than You Think_ . The people who need to see it will never actually see it. The people who already know about the problems will see it, so new viewers will never see it. At least RU-vid is accessible, so accessible, you don't even need an account to view videos.
I did a senior project on production of polymer grade from food waste. It is too costly to compete with that from fracking and too energy intensive to make sense.
Ive been looking for a really enlightening source I lost about the recycling social engineering campaign in wake of the environmentalist movement in the early 70s and have been looking for it for some time. I'm glad you are bringing that fact up at least.
This was a great video! You keep it fast (which does make me replay parts sometimes), easy to watch, educative, fact based and most of all, in depth, saying how it is, and sharing info that can and will be new information to many. Well done.
wow ! don't tel me for you paper cup that cost 9 times of what cost plastic cup and why plastic is bad if wise recycled the dislike dose not matter from who are but at last they are not hypocrite 1500 $ for a phone is ok ! 100k foar a car is ok even if i must earn x times more money just to make other richer and have a good imagine
In Europe plastics are on a decline though. They keep getting banned where it's feasible and the awareness about how harmful they are keeps getting bigger and bigger. Things like single use plastic cups and cutlery really became a rare sight here.
I'm not sure what country you are from, but any supermarket I've been to in Europe is a testament of how the problem is still alive and kicking. I've seen a supermarket chain that's actually doing something really cool - all supermarket-brand liquid products can be refilled in a machine inside one of their stores. But it's 1 store against millions. They could be putting that in place across all of them, but they are not.
I'm also glad more and more people are getting louder about uncut food being wrapped in plastic. Supermarkets are starting to pick up on it, so maybe we will see an end to that soon.
Strange that I failed to realize it until now. The problem isn't that we're unable to reuse plastic. Petrol industry chooses to make plastics that are unrecycable in order to keep drilling.
I've used Loop - it's like the modern day milkman but with products in reusable containers from different companies that you get in a big tote box that you return after to be cleaned after use.
I didn't realize it was that bad, until I (and many others) saw the garbage man throw the contents of the recycle bin in with the garbage. (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA)
In the future can you mention that there is an extended version on Nebula at the beginning of the video? Just so I know to watch it there instead, rather than getting to the end on RU-vid and then having to go over there and find the bonus content buried in the middle.
@@papasscooperiaworker3649 there is an extended version of this video on Nebula. He doesn't mention that it exists until the end of this video. And the extension in the Nebula version is in the middle, not just at the end. I am a Nebula subscriber but their app isn’t that great (Apple TV) so unless there is a reason I typically watch videos on RU-vid instead. But if there is an extended version I'd rather just watch the whole thing on Nebula rather than watching the RU-vid version first, finding out about the extended version at the end, and then having to find the extended portion in the Nebula video. So I'm just asking for him to say at the beginning of the video that there is an extended version and that Nebula subscribers should watch over there instead.
I research enzymes involved in breaking down and metabolizing PET plastic. I worked at a national laboratory for two years where we had visitors from all sectors, including representatives from the packaging industry. From the talks they gave, it's clear that the companies actually making the plastic products are well aware of the pressure to make changes, and within the industry it is all anyone can talk about. It's a race to market for them, although it may not look that way from the outside. While the fossil fuel companies are still forging ahead, it's only a matter of time before they're backed into a corner by the loss of patronage from their main supporters in the plastics industry - the packaging companies. When consumers become more aware, and using less plastic becomes associated with social capital/clout, the private companies want to take advantage of it and are setting their sights on doing so. There is a lot that goes into making the switch behind the scene that a lot of people aren't aware of, including, but not limited to, consideration of the barrier properties of a polymer (Will my soda stay bubbly? Will my chocolate go stale?), and how compatible the tooling for making the old plastic packaging is with the new polymer (Can I use the same molds and expect the same behavior from this new polymer during the production process?). These two things alone account for a huge reason why there hasn't been a more rapid movement away from petroleum-based plastics - the companies still need to consider the financial consequences of this and do right by their stakeholders. Thankfully, there is also a TON of innovation going on in the polymer science field, as well as the biotechnology field - a lot of the work I am involved with is focused on designing new biodegradable and bioderived polymers that better meet the aforementioned demands of the production process, and that also have monomers that can be produced without the input of fossil fuels (i.e. biologically). You can check out bottle.org for info. It's also worth noting that this is all funded by the DOE. Even during the last administration, there was a huge spike in government funding (US DOE, NSF, DOD, etc.) for research aimed at tackling the issues surrounding plastic. The most difficult step will be translating the work from research to industry, but from my perspective, the future still looks pretty bright!
This is the reason i have been thinking about building zero plastic food store but i am not sure how i would do it :D i guess start with dry products like pasta and rice and when i find out how to do the other products i will just add them to the store :D
Maybe there's a zero waste store somewhere in your area to help you with tips on how to get started? I live in Germany and I'm very lucky to have one right around the corner, I know they'd be happy to help.
*Historical fact:* in USSR there was no plastic packaging, only paper an glass, which had recycling reception centers created en masse to accept them in exchange for various bonuses like new books or tickets to some cultural events.
Great great video. Thank you! It's so annoying that even if you want to and try to avoid plastic it's so difficult to find things that aren't unnecessarily wrapped.
The multi billion dollar retail company I work for switched from handing out plastic bags to thicker bags you have to 15 cents for about a year ago and unfortunately I find it's only had a fairly minimal change in the amount of plastic bags we use. Most people have just got used to buying them since convenience culture has made most people feel no need to carry their own bags. There needs to be such a massive culture change around shopping habits in general but no one really wants to have it. It's going to be such a fight to end plastic pollution but I guess we have no choice but to keep going.
More than that, many of them are expecting and profiting off the devastation they bring, I don't beleive in evil as an objective thing for the most part, but things like rampant corporations and the corrupt politians they employ and bribe is by far the closet thing to actual evil in my book.
It's a shame that produces or just food in general *has* to be packaged in plastics to keep them sanitary. This has become even more important now because of the pandemic. Would replacing plastic packaging with paper bags be more healthy and less impactful on the environment? Paper isn't as flexible as plastic but at least it's not plastic...
I think it would be better Angie, because paper can be made from bamboo, sugar cane, rushes and grasses, all sustainable or currently waste materials that would make excellent paper for packages. Natural type of waxes and biopolymers could hold in moisture or keep out moisture, and then the end material could be either recycled or composted.🌿🌄🌻🌎🌞
This video is SO incredibly informational and has been phenomenally helpful to me. Thank you so much for educating others on such an important topic as Plastic!
As a regular grocery store shopper, ive noticed more and more things in plastic that used to be in glass. Like spaghetti sauce, juices, So on. Make little choices every day, if you buy eggs, only grab ones in paper based cartons. Grab a drink in glass(cans still use plastics, and even glass does in the lids to help seal them). If you have no choice but a plastic container, try to get in more bulk sizes to lessen the impact in at least a minute way. For most normal people, its in fact impossible to go around with out using plastics(single use type) these days. But just think about what you are buying, and if there are options with less or no plastic used. The less the better. A can of soda is going to be less plastic then a plastic bottle...
This is basically a TL;DR of Break Free From Plastics's documentary "The Story of Plastic". Great resource to send to people if they don't have an hour or so!
Fantastic work... Sending this to senior managers at my company. I've researched the various effects of plastics for at least six years. Scientific research papers considering effects on our various biomes are sobering, if not terrifying. And... sometimes force me to learn new vocabulary - LOL!!
Great video, thank you. What do you recommend for individuals to do, other than avoiding single use plastics? Are there any ways we can influence the tackling the systemic use of plastics?
Just one way off the top of my head would be to call your local grocery store (producer of a good at the store) and challenge them to not use plastic/. Better yet, organize your friends and family to help you.
Here is a long one 😂 .. ready .. set .. go ... 🤸♂️ [ Stuff to get or as a gift that might help the journey ... ] ** Reminder : We can't shop our way into environmentalism ** 1. Glass Jar 2. Handkerchief 3. Reusable Napkin 4. Reusable Cup 5. Reusable Mug 6. Reusable Straw 7. Stainless Steel Ear Pick 8. Bamboo or Wooden Ear Pick 9. Organic Bath Towel 10. Organic Cotton Fabric 11. Safety Razor (stainless steel) 12. Loofah or Coconut husk Scourer 13. Portable Cutlery with carrier pouch 14. Bamboo or Wooden Spork (Spoon-Fork) 15. Reusable Shoping Bag & Produce Bag 16. Wooden or Bamboo Basket (shopping-carrying-storing) 17. Stainless Steel or Glass tumbler (water bottle) 18. Wooden, Stainless Steel or Bamboo Hair Comb 19. Metal Lunch Box 20. Single or multiple stack of Stainless Steel Tiffin (food container) 21. Biodegradeable toothbrush and tooth tabs 22. Natural Soap and Bar Shampoo 23. Soap Nuts 24. Silicone Ice Tray 25. Silicone Pouch (for snacks & freezing) 26. Silicone Baking Sheet 27. French Press (coffee) 28. Reusable Coffee Filter 29. Tea Infuser (for loose leaf tea) 30. Wooden Cooking Utensils 31. Cloth Bowl Cover 32. Electric Generator 33. LED Light Bulp 34. Fauchet Aerator 35. Rain Harvest Water Barel [ Preparation and things anyone could do .. ] 1. Use what you have ! 2. Get only what you need !! 3. Shop without waste/single use waste in mind 4. Shop second hand or vintage whenever possible 5. Shop priority for locally sourced and-or made 6. Shop seasonal / in-season fruit 7. Have several reusable shopping bags in various sizes and for various needs 6. Always carry handkerchief and portable-reusable cutlery would be good 7. Compost your organic waste 8. Build a house garden 9. Microdrip your garden 10. Mulch your garden and open area in your home 11. Grow you own food or some of it 12. Grow edible mushroom 13. Plant Plectranthus barbatus - Winslow Spur Flower as alternative to toilet paper 14. Join or build a Community Composting 15. Join or build a Gardening Community 16. Make your home energy independent as much as possible. Start small if you can not afford all in offgrid. 17. Choose Energy Efficients electronics equipment 18. Build community library 19. Build library of things 20. Make a local/regional chat group like on Telegram about Zero Waste life style. Invite people to join and make publication at local shop, local school-university, municipal office. The group also can consist of Routine Zero Waste Swap - where people can offer stuff or service for free or by purchase (2nd hand stuff only ofcourse). It can transition more people to learn and join zero waste / sustainability movement. 21. Buy/donate and plant mangrove. Support mangrove rehabilitation around the world 22. Switch to a bank that does not support fossil fuel industry 23. Change your default search engine to Ecosia that plant tree every several times you use them 24. Delete unimportant and junk E-Mail 25. Learn to pickle 26. Learn about Furoshiki 27. Eat less meat 28. Drive less 29. Buy electric car 30. Buy electric bicycle 31. Buy electric motorcycle 32. Use public transport 33. Ride share 34. Convert your car or motorcycle into electric 35. DIY your own wooden/bamboo spork (spoon-fork) 36. DIY organic rope such as coconut husk rope
@@OurEden happy to share, if you want you can join zero waste groups on facebook. There are alot of groups outthere. Ask question and discuss stuff about sustainability and zerowaste lifestyle. Cheers
@@OurChangingClimate I'm thinking of doing this with some of my local grocery stores to decrease plastic consumption in our area. I'm going to call them right now. Thanks for the motivation!
Just today my local supermarket cashier told me they sell 99c large plastic reusable bags and they could recycle the bags that customers often opt to get at checkout, while I was trying to organize all the bags that I brought with me. As if I didn't know reuse is always better than recycle. As if I would trust the corporate message that they could handle the costly recycling well. As if I didn't notice more of their fruits and vegetables are getting covered in unnecessary plastic films or the crinkley plastic bags that recycling plants could not even handle.
I love how you never mentioned that 'single-use plastic pollution is harmful to marine life'. After watching Seaspiracy, I realized how that argument is weak because only zero point something % of plastic pollution to the ocean is single-use. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't condemn single-use plastic production due to all the fossil-fuel-related reasons you just mentioned. Great video!
Dear Charlie... I loved your video about planned obsolescence, It would be great if you could share a community post on Linus Tech Tips current Right to Repair video! I hope I'm not asking for too much...
I’m trying to minimize plastics it the world by trying to not buy plastics in the first place. Economic protest may be the most effective protest in this dollar-shaped world. Some ways I’m doing this are: shopping with reusable bags, not putting produce in those thin bags in the product section, buying things that come in glass jars or cans rather than in plastic containers, producing my own food, fixing things instead of throwing them away, investing in long-lasting reusable items that replace single-use items... There are a lot of little things you can do that don’t require a paywall to learn about.
Plastic is such a great material, it can be shaped into almost any shape, lasts for ever, is super durable, doesn't rust, mold, react. If produced and used consciously in applications that actually require such properties, it can be a miracle material. It's disgusting to see soo much of it is misused in single use applications that just end up in landfills. Instead of being a positive things plastic's durability has been turned into a burden on civilisation by FF companies.
Hi, love your videos. I’m curious why your opinion on the new biodegradable plastics like timeplast are? Seems like a promising direction but also possibly creating more problems if not vetted properly. I’d love to see a video on the subject from you. Thanks!
Thanks. Maybe this helps explain why over the last 4 or5 years the local deli and convenience stores no longer stocked glass bottles. I would complain and inquire but the store owners did not have a choice, and were not given a reason. I must pack a lunch because all available ready to eat food comes in a plastic box. I gave up on treats from the grocery stores bakery because all of that is now packed in plastic. We are told nothing, and some have assumed it was pandemic protocol, but, I see no one rolling back the plastic, and , sadly, I don’t think it impacted sales. We must not do this giving up thing. Stay awake. Boycott such products whenever possible…
Buy bar soap instead of body wash, buy big bags of beans instead of smaller bags. Take home restaurant food in our own boxes. Bring our own bags. Buy only 5 new clothing or accessories items in a year. Make crafts out of found objects or second hand supplies. Take books out of the library. If we use zipper plastic bags, wash them and reuse them 4 or 5 times. Use aluminum foil instead of plastic wrap. Tina
this is why I am buying more sustainable items and saying no to plastic. I know I can't be completely zero waste but I can avoid the single use plastic items.
9:25 "you cant even buy lettuce without buying plastic" I can lettuce from a farmers market and big my own cloth produce bags. Way more expensive than the store bought of course. The store also has loose lettuce bunches, but it still usually has a plastic twist tie around it. The best solution is to grow lettuce at home. 1 or 2 small pots, a little bit of soil, and then just water and sun. Seeds are very very cheap and its a super easy crop to grow. Plus it tastes even better when picked fresh and you dont have to worry about it going bad in the fridge when you always pick it fresh.
Excellent information as always! This is exactly why I get non-plastic versions of anything I possibly can, especially outside of the realm of food (which is so far beyond individual influence). A culture of disposability and fast fashion and capitalism doesn’t get 100% fixed by just not using plastic, but I really am convinced that it’s one of the biggest problems we face right now. Any time I can vote against plastic with how I spend my money, I will.
The cost of producing plastic is going to plummet, and the only way companies will start caring about the way it impacts us and the environment is if they have to pay for it RIGHT NOW. Emphasize lifecycle costs. Make them pay.
Items made from plastics intended for long term uses are not a bad thing. Ex: insulation on wire, fresh and waste water pipes, construction materials, durable goods, etc. But plastics for single use, ie: plastic containers, shopping bags, automotive oils, medical equipment, etc. is unsustainable because these materials do not break down naturally like materials made from natural materials. I believe one of the most wasteful uses are drink and water bottles. Even thought these are made from highly recyclable PETE most wind up in landfills.
Companies tricking consumers into thinking that the unsustainable choice is the good choice is a very real thing. I hate going to get sushi or similar takeout and getting a ton of these plastic chopsticks, forks, straws and sauce tins with my order even after specifically telling them that I need none of them and am carrying utensils on my own. Then when you go see the reviews of this place and see people complaining that they haven't gotten enough of the plastic utensils/packaging and would give a higher rating if they got more. Similar to some grocery stores that insist on packaging my stuff into 2 or 3 plastic bags on top of each other so it's more sturdy because they "care about the customer", or the coffee shops that I give my eco cup to use instead of the insulated junk cup, and they still use the latter and return my cup with a big ol smile on their face like "no need to worry about that" 🤦
I'm old enough to remember when plastic didn't exist. When we bought all our shopping without plastic. When our milk came in glass bottles. What I don't remember is how we got our meat home. It sure didn't come in plastic packaging and it couldn't have been wrapped in paper. Something in the back of my mind tells me there was something like waxed paper, to stop the liquid soaking through. Perhaps someone can help me?
Thanks for reporting on this again. I remembered flying over this part of louisiana when flying from houston airport to arrive in alabama. I looked down and was horrified at how...grey-brown the water looks. I know much of it is just mississippi river sediment, but the land and water looks scarred by fossil fuel drilling and refining.
We must end plastic usage but i depends a lot to it. Tbh i don't know what i have to do. I rarely bought straw or single use cup. I've tried to spend less on buying stuff. But still many necessity is using plastic, i've collected lots of empty bottle from food and toiletries
Food: get it from smaller businesses. You'll find more unpackaged food. Another plus is that you can get exactly the amount you need, so less wastage. If you have a garden or somewhere close where you can grow your own, even better. Always bring your own bags and other containers. Bathroom: safety razor, shampoo/conditioner/soap/shaving bars, biodegradable loofah, bamboo toothbrush, jar or tablets for toothpaste, stick deodorant, bamboo hairbrush, a period cup. Other: cloth instead of single use for cleaning/wiping your hands/blowing you nose, avoid fabric softeners (if you use a dryer, try dryer balls), use laundry strips or powder and if you really want liquid get a brand who puts it in recycled containers. If you like baking, use a silicone baking mat, use bees wrap instead of cling film, prepare you food at home and bring it with you. I guess I don't have to tell you this, but avoid single use where possible and re-use what you can.
