How to reduce the use of plastic in your daily life

It can be intimidating to cut out plastic from our lives in the modern world, because it has permeated our lives and How!

Here are some tips to get you started.

• Use reusable bottles and cups 

Reuse your own bottle to cut down on the plastic consumption and eliminate plastic water bottles. Even though it may seem appealing to buy a brand new refillable bottle every time you step out, keep in mind that it takes a couple hundred uses to pay off the environmental impact of producing one new bottle. That is why it's best to reuse the one that's already in your possession.

• Avoid plastic straws 

The use of plastic straws contributes to a great deal of microplastic pollution. If possible, skip using plastic straws entirely, but if you do need one, consider using a paper straw. 

• Take your own bags when grocery shopping

It is best to take your own reusable bags to the grocery store each time or to the farmers market since disposable plastic grocery bags can take up to 500 years to fully decompose. Mesh reusable produce bags are an excellent alternative to disposable plastic produce bags if you are buying fresh fruit, nuts and grains from bulk bins. Besides, cloth and jute bags are not only sturdier, they can be washed after a few uses. 

• Use non-plastic reusable containers for food storage

Switch from plastic containers to metal or glass ones when you need to store food items like flour, dals and spices. In addition to not buying new empty containers, you can buy food in glass jars at the grocery store so that you can clean and reuse the jars once you’ve eaten the food. 

• Shop at a Farmer's Market

Farmer's markets not only provide you with fresher produce and goods — but they're also healthier for the environment since most of the food is grown nearby, requires less transportation, and usually isn't packaged in plastic like most of the produce in grocery stores.

Stopping the use of plastic is easier than you think so get started by following the above-mentioned tips.