The plastic pollution crisis that we are facing is ever more present in our ocean. Did you know that? Every minute, one garbage truck of plastic is dumped into our oceans. Also, many fish humans consume have ingested plastic.
Fish and other marine creatures often can’t distinguish plastic items from food; the plastic they consume blocks their digestive systems and can often result in starvation. Marine wildlife faces other harmful consequences of plastic pollution as they often get ensnared in bags and other items.
When you throw away a piece of plastic, you might think that you are just disposing of a simple piece of garbage and someone else will take care of it.
What if it ends up in the ocean?
The volume of plastic dumped in the ocean is so huge that is difficult to picture. It covers areas that are bigger than some large countries, such as Mexico, or states like Texas. This pollution has a tremendous impact on marine life. Can you imagine if someone dumped tons and tons of garbage inside your dining room, living room and bedroom?
Environmentalist, Tracey Bailey, encourages us all to make a lifelong commitment to reducing plastic waste by eliminating the use of other plastic disposable products and replacing them with environmentally friendly alternatives this Plastic Free July.
Bailey, founder of Biome Eco Stores, says that it is now a great time for us to assess areas of their lives where disposable plastic is used.
“Plastic Free July’s Top 4 challenge encouraging people to stop using single-use plastic water bottles, bags, straws and coffee cups is a great place to start, but there are many other areas in our lives where we can reduce the use of disposable plastics including in our kitchens and bathrooms,” she says.
“Australians use and dispose of over 30 million plastic toothbrushes every year totalling approximately 900 tonnes of waste. That’s approximately 180% of the total waste of the 3.92 billion plastic bags Australians send to landfill each year.”
5 ways to reduce your plastic waste
Bailey offers up these five tips to boost your Plastic Free July efforts:
- Swap a plastic toothbrush for a biodegradable bamboo toothbrush.
- Swap plastic cling wrap for reusable beeswax wraps or vegan wax wraps.
- Buy package-free food from bulk wholefood suppliers and shop at farmers markets.
- Switch to a reusable stainless-steel safety razor.
- Make your own body care and cleaning products from natural ingredients.
To learn more about how plastic is affecting the environment click here.
