Items As Bad As Plastic Straws

Plastic straws are bigfatcringe.com. I mean seriously, if you need a plastic straw, natural selection is gonna take you out. I've said what I said. 

But there are items that are as bad, if not worse than plastic straws. I guess a rule of thumb here is just stay clear of plastic altogether. 

1. Plastic Bags

Duh. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), one trillion plastic bags are used worldwide annually, and less than 5% of all plastic gets recycled... 🥵😵‍💫😭Pardon?!?!

Plastic shopping bags kill large numbers of wildlife each year as in the water, plastic bags can be mistaken for jellyfish by wildlife. Birds, whales, seals and turtles ingest the bags then die from intestinal blockages. Get this, plastic bags are the most common man-made item seen by sailors at sea... 

See, plastic bags can take 20 to 1000 years to decompose. Once an animal that had ingested a plastic bag dies, it decays way faster than the bag. Then as the animal has decomposed, the bag is released back into the environment, ready to be eaten again.

2. Plastic Cotton Buds

Plastic cotton buds are one of the most problematic litter items found on beaches across the world. 1.5 billion cotton buds are produced every day, with the average person disposing of 415 a year. Where do a lot of them end up? In the ocean of course.

Plastic cotton buds break down into microplastics which can be ingested by the smallest phytoplankton through to the biggest whale. Microplastics can block digestive tracts of marine life and reduce their urge to eat, causing some species to starve and die.

Each day in Australia, 250 marine animals, and more than 2,700 seabirds choke to death on the plastic polluting our oceans.

3. Plastic bottles

According to a report done after the 2016 International Coastal Cleanup, over 1.5 million plastic bottles were picked up around the world during the event. One 👏🏼 point 👏🏼five👏🏼 million. Wtf?!

The worst thing about that is that it's so easy to just bring a reusable water bottle everywhere!! Like seriously guys? We can do better.

4. Coffee Cups & Lids

If we lined up all the takeaway coffee cups we used in Australia each year, it would stretch around the Earth twice. Around 2.6 billion coffee cups end up in landfills each year.

All it takes is bringing a keep cup or saying no to the lid to make a difference!

5. Plastic Cutlery

In Australia, plastic cutlery isn’t easily recycled. Recycling machines often can’t sort them due to their shape, so many end up in landfills and take centuries to degrade.

Say not to additional plastic and bring your own bamboo utensils (I keep a set in my car for easy access!).

6. Disposable Razors

Disposable razors are meant to be used a few times and then thrown in the bin. Oh and, shock, horror, they're not easily recyclable... 😵‍💫 If we keep buying them, companies will keep making them - using fossil fuels for a product that will probably end up in a landfill.

About two billion of these shaving tools are dumped in landfills every year! And you thought razor burn was painful… Why not suss out a stainless steel razor that comes with replacement blades? They last way longer and the blades can be recycled when they go dull.

7. Disposable pens

Why are disposable pens so bad? ✍️

• The pen’s plastic bodies aren't usually recycled. 
• The ink left in pens and how this contaminates soil and water.
• The environmental cost of raw materials and production is severe.

All of that = a hefty environmental footprint. Biodegradable pens are the way to go. Most are made from recycled paper, biodegradable cornstarch, and FSC-certified wood and they're refillable! 

8. Prepackaged fruits and vegetables

Fruit and veg come in their own natural wrapping. So what do we do? Smother them in plastic of course... 🥵

The best way around this is to buy loose products and wash them when you get home! It's that simple!

So plastic is obviously from the devil. But all it takes is thinking one step ahead. Bring a reusable water bottle with you. Have bamboo cutlery ready. Buy a funky reusable shopping bag... These tiny steps make a world of difference. 🥰🥰🥰