Thursday, March 20, 2014

Reduce Your Waste By Using Less Plastic Food Packaging

By Jaclyn Hurley


We hear constantly from environmental advocates about the amount of waste produced by modern society, and about the negative effects that waste has on the environment. Most people want to make a difference, but it is easy to feel as though that is impossible. With modern conveniences like plastic food packaging and bottled water, we often create waste without even thinking about it.

These days, creating waste is as simple as purchasing something from a restaurant or a grocery store. In some ways, it is more difficult to avoid participating than it is to participate. That doesn't mean, however, that you cannot make a difference. You may need to be more mindful, and spend some extra time, but you can definitely find ways to ensure that you and your family create less waste.

Here are a few suggestions that can help you consume less plastic and re-use what you do consume. Re-using things helps to create less trash in the long run.

Keep plastic containers and use them again. If you order food to be delivered or carried out, or buy prepared foods at a deli, you are going to wind up with plastic containers. Most of them are strong and sturdy enough for multiple uses. Hold on to them, and use them as tupperware. You can store vegetables after you have chopped them, or store individual servings of leftovers.

Save and reuse your plastic bags. Whether they are sandwich bags, storage bags, or grocery bags, plastic bags can be reused for many purposes. You can save the storage and sandwich bags for the same purpose for which you originally used them. As long as there wasn't raw meat inside, it should be fine to just wash them out. As for grocery bags, you can put them in small trash cans in place of regular trash bags, and you can also put them over your hair in place of shower caps!

Avoid buying "individually wrapped" items. These things not only create extra waste, they also cost more. Instead, buy things like tissues, nuts, snack foods, and candy in bulk, and separate them into individual packages yourself, using the storage and sandwich bags you have saved from previous uses.

We often don't think about the amount of waste we each create just buy buying single serving sodas and bottles of water. Try to cut down on the amount of them you buy. When you do buy them, save some of the bottles and use them to carry drinks with you when you leave your home.

The bottles that you do not re-use should be recycled, as all of your containers should be eventually. Instead of putting it in the trash, recycle it. That way, instead of taking up space in a landfill, it will be melted down and used to create something else, reducing the overall amount of waste.

It is true that the problem of waste in our society is too big for any one person or family to solve. If more and more people make changes, however, those changes will begin to add up. Reducing waste is definitely worthwhile!




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