Rethinking The Plastic In Our Lives
Some of the most promising shifts to promote a cleaner future have concerned the reduction of disposable plastics. We’ve seen a mineral water giant promise to switch to 100 percent recycled plastic by 2025. Airlines rid toss-able extras like straws, wrappers, and single-use utensils from their cabins. Beauty brands embrace the loop system and offer recyclable and compostable product refills. The changes have been huge and small, straightforward and inventive.
As encouraging as they are, these strides also beg the question: Why is there still so much single-use, toxic, ocean-choking plastic? It’s disarming—an insult, really—to order a product, only to find it wrapped in copious layers or contained in a throwaway plastic bottle.
This egregious waste inspired Tonia Soteros to open Recontained, a zero waste online and brick-and-mortar shop that offers bulk items and other alternatives to single-use plastic. Soteros was flipping through a book in the checkout line one day when she halted at this statistic: If every person in America stopped using body wash, it would save 2.5 million pounds of plastic entering the landfill every year. “I immediately became a bar soap girl,” she says. But what about all the other shampoos, cleaners, conditioners, and the like in her house? Soteros looked to see if there was a place that offered these solutions in bulk, allowing her to refill her empty containers rather than toss them. Unable to find one, she opened Recontained.
Soteros’s journey is a reminder of how huge the issue of disposable plastics is, which is why it needs to be tackled from every angle. The companies making the single-used plastics need to be held accountable, just as the businesses employing them do. The onus is also on us: We need to be vigilant in rethinking how we let single-use plastic into our lives. As Soteros helps us see, this can start with simple manageable steps.
5 Ways to Reduce Disposable Plastic
Rethink the Bottle
For those looking for an easy way to begin their zero-waste journey, Soteros suggests eliminating the plastic water bottles—for good. “This is a simple, straightforward swap that can have a substantial impact,” she says. Invest in a reusable bottle and a water filter. And if you have a water delivery, she suggests finding one that delivers in glass instead of plastic.
Bag Smartly
Even though some cities across the US have banned single-use plastic bags, these sneaky polluters are still out there in droves. Rid this practice and keep a few sustainable, reusable bags accessible. Soteros like the organic mesh bags. They work for most anything, including produce, and take up little room when not in use.
Be Picky with Packaging
The grocery store is a huge culprit of excessive plastic, says Soteros, who points to the plastic mesh bags often used to contain fruits and vegetables. “Not only do these bags contribute to the plastic that ends up in the landfills, but they so often end up in the ocean where they cause severe damage and death to our precious marine life,” she says. Aim to buy produce that is unpackaged, or at least free of plastic. (This is an easy option at the farmers market.)
Sweat the Small Stuff
We tend to be more aware of the throwaway water bottles, the single-use shopping bags, the old BPA-leaching food containers, but the tinier plastic culprits often lack our attention. “Once you start really paying attention, you will begin to see excessive plastic all around you,” says Soteros. Take note of the smaller plastic parts—i.e. bottle cap safety seals, personal care bottle caps, food takeout containers, lip balm tubes—and see if you can recycle them or find an alternative company that does without them in their packaging. TerraCycle offers a ZeroWaste box that makes recycling odd and overlooked items a breeze.
Communicate
A simple email or call can go a very long way. By reaching out to a company to voice your concern over their packaging, shipping practices, and other methods that incorporate disposable plastic, it can spark a helpful conversation. Oftentimes a company may be working toward reducing their plastic use but they haven’t communicated this to their customers. Or perhaps your call may entice them to shift their priorities. Honest communication can spark great change.
To learn more about Soteros and Recontained, visit: recontained.com. And for more information on how to combat the issue of plastic waste, these organizations are creating incredible movements: