10 Ways to Reduce Plastic Pollution

While we are all busy with our lives, and full of racing around from work to home spend time with family, it’s important for us to make an effort to find small ways to reduce plastic pollution. With a little effort from everyone, we can help make a more optimistic future for today’s children and tomorrow’s.  It will also help ensure that the environment is more healthy for future animal species to survive, and hope to slow down today’s mass extinction happening in nature. 

With a couple of efforts from all of us, these little actions can add up to bigger and more positive changes in the world.

Be Mindful of Plastic Purchases

It’s hard to imagine how much plastic is involved in our everyday shopping experience, but if we take a step back and look at how much plastic waste is involved, we might rethink how we approach this.  By being more mindful of this and shifting mindset, we can help put more pressure on the stores and manufacturers to make different decisions.

Here’s a couple of plastic items to consider:

• Plastic tags
• Plastic bag within a box - usually for food items, like cereal
• Plastic packaging within box - like cosmetic product packaging 
• Plastic wrapped around purchase - signals it is brand new
• Plastic bag at the end of the purchase to put your items in

No More Buying Bottled Water

Not only is buying plastic bottles of water terrible because of the plastic that is leached into the water, but these companies selling the bottled water and creating environmental issues and destroying nature in some cases.  For example, a popular bottled water brand is siphoning off of Florida’s springs which are specially diverse in ecology. Because of their choice in location, they are destroying the homes of wildlife, and thus destroying the natural landscape. All in the name of profit. Stop supporting these unethical companies at all costs.

Support Businesses that Help the Earth

There are so many companies that are trying to flip the script, including ourselves at Clean Earth Candles.  You can find more brands today that are willing to pay their employees to go outside and pick up plastic pollution, and litter in hopes to curb the issue of drowning in trash.  To help us in our mission, shop our candle collection, and relax knowing that your purchase is going toward the good of the future.

Buy Natural Fibers for Clothes

According to the UN, about 9% of our microplastic problem in the ocean comes from our clothes with synthetic fibers, including acrylic, nylon, and polyester. When we wash our clothes, the runoff contains the microplastic from the fibers that break off from this material and makes it way into bodies of water, including the ocean.  Not only that, but when we wear these fibers, our bodies absorbs the microplastic via the skin, and they’ve been proven to be endocrine disrupters. 
While these fibers provide an affordable way to clothe ourselves, we should gravitate toward natural fabrics like cotton, linen and wool. 

Go Thrifting

One of the best ways to reduce pollution is to REUSE! Donate your old items and clothes, and shop for a new outfit at your closest thrift store.  By buying second hand, we reduce items from going into the dump and taking up more space that we are quickly running out of.  Plus, a thrift store adventure is always fun and exciting, because you never know what you will find!

Boycott Single-Use Plastics

This is a little easier said than done for some scenarios, but if we all stop using disposable plates, cups, and cutlery out of convenience, there would be millions of pounds less of waste in the trash.  Instead, reach for the plate and take the two minutes to wash when you are finished.  If you are in the catering business, opt for biodegradable plates and cutlery. There’s many affordable options in today’s world, there’s no excuse anymore.

Recycle!

It’s never too late to get started, and to learn about the recycling options you have in your area. Make sure to read what is recyclable for your local plant, as every recycling plant is different in what they will take, and even how they will take. Some recycling will ask that you separate paper from the plastic, while others ask you put it all in one bin. Every effort helps!

Bring Your Reusable Bags

According to OceanConservancy.org, there were 1.9 million grocery bags and other plastic bags collected in the 2018 International Coastal Cleanup. This amount could be eradicated if we all used our reusable bags, and stopped unnecessary distribution of plastic bags.  This temporary convenience is turning into a forever problem for us.

Put Pressure on Manufacturers and Law Makers

Write an email to your favorite brands, call them out on social media, telling them you want to see them change their plastic packaging to something more eco-friendly, biodegradable being the preference.  In Florida, locals pressured law makers into making a law that restaurants are no longer allowed to serve plastic straws with their beverages, and it worked! The businesses now serve straws that are biodegradable and plastic-free.

Donate to Cleanup Causes or Volunteer

There are so many non-profits today that are dedicated to cleaning up the pollution and litter from where it doesn’t belong, like the Surfrider Foundation. By donating financially you help the economy to pay for someone’s time and energy to pick up the trash when you can’t. If you can, try volunteering your time with a local beach clean up, or park clean up!

Educate and Encourage Your Community

Pass the word on about how to reduce plastic use, and educate your friends and family on how they can make small changes for big results. Explain how this helps your community on a micro-level and sets an example to the rest of the world!