The Tribune

By LAURA PAINE

It’s all about convenience. We all live busy, stressed-filled lives where everything has to happen fast. Most of us opt for a quick and convenient fast food meal rather than patiently preparing and enjoying a healthy home-cooked meal. We rather order stuff online and have it delivered to us the next day than sourcing for locally made products. We prefer to purchase our kale wrapped in plastic at the grocery store rather than planting, growing and harvesting it in our gardens. But what is the price we are paying for convenience?

Disposable items made of plastic certainly play a major role when it comes to making our life more convenient, but there is actually nothing quick or convenient about the complete life cycle of a plastic object. It spends only a fraction of its existence serving its purpose, while the rest of its life is spent being a nuisance. Plastic is harming animals, the environment and us. But how do we stop the plastic madness? Unfortunately, reusing and recycling are not the solution. We need to reduce and refuse instead. Think about refusing the drinking straw that restaurants automatically bring. Or try to reduce the amount of plastic you bring into your home by saying no to red party cups, plastic bags, picnic cutlery and so on.

It may seem difficult at the beginning, but surely it is possible to find ways to reduce our dependence on plastic, and reducing is simpler that you think!

Our planet is in trouble and it is up to us to make sure our kids have a planet that can nurtures and supports them. In order to do that we all must chip in. We all must start making changes in our daily routines that add up to big impacts. Here is a list of items that you can easily avoid every day and will make a big difference for your health and our environment.

1. Plastic food wrap

Evidence suggests that heat makes chemicals in plastic storage boxes and bottles leach into food and drink. Cancer Research UK is now warning that cling film should not be allowed to touch the food it is covering during microwaving. The chemical causing most concern is bisphenol A (BPA), which is widely used in plastics manufacture. In the body it mimics the effects of female sex hormone oestrogen. Laboratory studies have also linked BPA with breast and prostate cancer and early sexual development in women.

Alternatives? Opt for glass jars, glass food containers, parchment paper, fabric bowl covers, stainless steel food containers or simply a bowl with a plate on top. And for your children’s lunch box? Containers made from non toxic stainless steel are antibacterial and don’t leach chemicals.

1. Straws

Do we really need a straw every time we have a drink? We use straws for around 20 minutes before we toss them away, which is a very quick lifespan for an item that will be on the planet forever. Plastic straws made the top 10 items picked up on beach clean-ups. In US alone, 500 million straws are used every single day. Most straws today are made from a petroleum-based plastic called polypropylene, they are not biodegradable and can’t be recycled. The simplest way you can eradicate straws from your life is to just stop using them:

• If you don’t need a straw, don’t use one. If you really need one buy a reusable straw that you can keep in your purse.

• Start asking for no straw when you are served food and try to encourage restaurants and bars to avoid automatically handing straws out with every drink.

1. Disposable pens

Pens, too, are made from plastic and this means that it will take hundreds of years for a single discarded pen to decompose. Now, when you add 105 billion pens used and discarded per year from the American population alone, you are looking at polluted groundwater and soil. Let’s consider numbers:

• Each pen is approximately 5.5 inches long

• Multiplied by 100 billion = 8,680,555 miles

• The circumference of the earth at the equator is 24,900 miles

• 100 billion pens laid end to end would circle the earth 348 times

So, what is an environment-loving individual with a liking for pen and paper to do? Well, consider buying a refillable stainless steel pen. It will cost you only a few dollars and will last you for years.

1. Disposable razors

Consider these reports from Shave.com:

“Brand leader Gillette, an American-based company, has its razor handles manufactured in China while the blades are made in Sweden….this means that at any time container-loads of parts to make up a variety of branded and unbranded razors are being sailed and flown around the planet, clocking up some serious mileage. That all requires the use of fossil fuels to transport them, as well as the energy needed to manufacture the various components.

“Plastic injection moulding, the process used to produce the various components such as the cartridges, razor handles and carriers for the lubricating strips, is an energy-rich process that puts a high demand on our planet’s natural resources. The manufacture of razors, therefore, is not a particularly sustainable one and has a considerable impact on the ecology of the planet.”

In the US alone, it is estimated that there are around two billion razors disposed. The sad thing is that they are designed in such a way that they can no longer be used again.

But a good shave doesn’t have to come at the cost of the environment: consider using recyclable razors instead. You just have to change the blade and still be able to use the same razor for a long time. You may also try electrical shavers, they will have the same effect when you shave but you can use them over a very long period of time.

1. Party plastic

Kids’ parties are a ton of fun and make great memories, but they can also be extremely wasteful affairs. Just consider the several bags of trash you probably collect after everyone goes home. Eliminating disposable dishes, cups, forks, etc. is a major way to reduce party waste. These items are certainly convenient: you don’t have to wash them and you can get Spiderman and Batman plates that your children will love. But this is so bad for the environment. How can you eliminate plastic? Here some tips:

• Disposable plates, cups and cutlery – Buy a set of reusable hard plastic cups and plates, plus any extra cutlery you need. Items that survive the day can be reused again and again at future parties. In alternative you can buy compostable plates and cups. The won’t be colourful but they will degrade quickly and completely after use.

• Juice – Avoid juice boxes and opt instead for juice in cans. Collect the cans at the end of the party and drop them in one of the Cans for Kids blue containers located in different locations around New Providence.

• Water – Avoid plastic water bottles. You can use a five-gallon water bottle with a dispenser. Provide paper cups and a cooler full of ice to go with it.

• Party bags – Instead of a plastic bag filled with unhealthy snacks and more plastic, consider giving out a colouring book with pencils or homemade muffins in a paper bag. Be creative!

The most effective way to reduce waste is to not create it in the first place. So consume less and refuse more often. And don’t forget to share your journey with your friends and family. The more friends you convince, the more people will begin using environmentally friendly products in their everyday lives, and that is how we change the world.