Mar 24, 2021

What's The Deal With Plastic?

1. It's toxic.

2. It's everywhere.

No literally, it's everywhere -- in our homes, in our oceans, and even in our bellies. There's a good reason you have been told not to drink out of a plastic water bottle that's been sitting in a hot car. Plastic is laced with carcinogens and requires unsustainable materials to be produced such as coal, natural gases, and crude oil. Plastic is one of the recipients of fracking, which also contaminates ground water and produces methane, contributing to the climate crisis.

But isn't plastic recyclable?

Some, not all, plastic is recyclable. It is actually down-cycled, which means, it can only be recycled 1-2 times, and often requires MORE plastic to be created and added to improve the quality. The reality is, only about 25% of plastic produced in the US is actually recycled. The rest, unfortunately ends up in either the landfill or in our oceans, thus, polluting our environment.

Plastic Pollution

The problem is that plastic breaks down into teeny tiny pieces, which marine animals mistake for food, which results in the poisoning of our entire food chain and ecosystem. Did you know that there's approximately 5.25 TRILLION pieces of micro and macro plastic in our oceans, and that the average person consumes about 5 grams of plastic per week? For context, that's about the size of a credit card (shocking, I know).

What can I do about it?

It is amazing how much single-use plastic is found in our homes once we start to look for it. The best thing to do is reduce your plastic consumption as much as possible. Create an awareness and make an effort to be more mindful of your purchasing behavior going forward.

Here is a list of everyday plastic alternatives we recommend on your journey to a zero-waste life:

1.Silicone Food Covers

These dishwasher-safe silicone food covers create a tight seal on bowls, plates, cans, mason jars, melon halves, and more.

2. Beeswax Wraps

Not only are these beeswax wraps adorable, but they are perfect for wrapping sandwiches or covering odd shaped dishware since they can mold into basically any shape. Bonus - Bee Kind donates a portion of profits to marine conservation efforts.

3. Unpaper Towels

The waffle-like texture of these reusable cloth towels makes them excellent for scrubbing counter tops, and their high absorbency makes cleaning up everyday spills a breeze.

4. Plastic-Free Bar Dish Soap