Where we can find Plastics in our daily life?
In a single sentence, Plastic is everywhere in our Home, Workplace or any other place. This versatile material is in our appliances, computers, clothing, and so much more. Some of the most common places we find plastic is wrapped around the things we buy every day, every moment. After all, it’s an effective way to keep food and cosmetics clean and fresh.
But plastic is also lurking in some little known places. When you take a careful look around your home, the sheer number of things you’ll find containing plastic may surprise you. Hence, get rid of Plastic in a single day, week or month is not an easy task, however, you have to do a head start! Below are some examples, I know these are not all, but an eye opener to come accross Plastic in your Habits and Lifestyle.
Beauty and Personal care products – Mostly beauty and personal care products are coming in plastic bottles and tubes, many shampoos, gels, creams, moisturizers, and make up contain synthetic polymers. Some may also contain micro-beads. Dental floss and disposable razors are also often made from plastic base materials.
Food packaging – Cereals, crackers, snacks, and many teas and coffees come in plastic. Most cheese, meat, and yogurt is packed in plastic, as are many condiments.
Synthetic fabrics – Polyester, nylon, rayon, and acrylic yarns and fabrics are all made from plastic. When washed, these materials shed millions of microscopic plastic fibers that eventually wind up in waterways.
Coffee cups – Even those that appear to be made from paper often have plastic in the lid or lining.
Wrapping paper – It is often a mix of plant fibers and laminated plastic. Tape, glitter, and stickers also contain plastic.
Baby Diapers – From their inner layer to their waterproof outer cover, disposable diapers are made from plastic. Super absorbent polymer makes up the absorbent inner core, while the outer layer is usually a petroleum-based plastic or a plastic-treated fabric.
Feminine hygiene products – The average disposable sanitary napkin contains about two grams of plastic.
What are the alternatives to Plastics?
There are many alternatives to Plastics, however, it is bit of dificult to implement in our social life as these material had been used for so many years. If you would like to see less plastic in your home and less plastic waste in the world, here are some long-lasting reusable plastic alternatives available as below.
Stainless steel – I could still remember of getting lunch in stainless steel lunch box when I was a kid. It is very tough, reusable and easy to clean. We should again start using Food storage, beverage storage, lunch boxes with stainless steel (metal) containers. It’s healthy and environment friendly!
Glass – Glass is good looking, inexpensive, and infinitely recyclable, glass is also easy to clean. And since many food items come packaged in glass, recycling glass jars into food storage is a no-cost way to give your food packaging new life. Jars from jam, honey, pickles, nut butters, and so much more can be added to your no-waste toolkit for shopping from the bulk bins. They can also be re-purposed to store leftovers and homemade drinks, or decorated and turned into homemade gifts.
Silicone (Sand) – It is made of sand, food grade platinum silicone is flexible and durable. It’s also heat tolerant, so you can boil, bake, and cook in these products without danger of denaturing. Mostly, freezer bags or storage Gallon bags are made of Silicone. It is used for long preservation of food items too.
Beeswax-coated cloth – It is a great replacement of Plastic Wraps and environment friendly.
Natural Cotton cloth – Natural cloth can replace plastic wraps/bags. Sustainable clothing made from organic cotton, wool, hemp, or bamboo won’t shed plastic fibers when washed. Felted or recycled wool is a versatile, safe, and compostable material for children’s toys, makeup removers, household containers, and many more.
Wood – A reusable resource from our forests can replace plastics from household kitchens, cleaning items, board rooms and so on.
Bamboo – The most popular and fast growing sustainable material used for daily toothbrush, drinking straws or cutlery sets in the Kitchen.
Paper – In days gone by, many things were packaged in plain paper. And while better than plastic, paper can’t be recycled infinitely because every time it’s reused, the fibers get shorter, limiting its use. All paper except the glossy kind is safe to put in your home compostable bins.
Cardboard – Cardboard is fully compostable at home as long as it’s not coated in plastic. Many companies are now packaging their products in plain cardboard to cut down on waste. You can also use cardboard boxes to replace storage containers in your home.
Keep in mind that anything you buy has an environmental footprint. Though longer lasting than plastic, things made from glass, metal, and so on still take energy to make and transport. For these swaps to make sense, you need to use them over and over again. Buying well-made, durable products will help ensure you get the most use from whatever you choose. Make sense?
Great article.i am Kenya and would UK ld love to involved in having a plastic free environment