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Understand What’s Possible
It’s a matter of reducing where you can and reusing the plastic you can’t avoid. Because absolute zero-waste is actually not possible.
You have to think of how exactly do you stop using it. So you first have to understand what’s truly feasible.
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It’s important to nail down why you want to go plastic-free. Having a strong, defined sense of purpose will help you stay the course when things inevitably get tough and inconvenient.
The most common "why" of a plastic-free lifestyle is a sense of responsibility to help both the environment and society.
Perhaps the best place for people to start cutting out plastic is in your drinking habits:
- Carry along a travel mug for your coffee
- Invest in a reusable water bottle
- Buy a few metal or glass ones to carry in your bag.
Avoid the worst contaminating plastics, like [polyethylene food wrap] and BPA plastics. Don’t use the straw, don't buy the plastic toy, or take the plastic bag.
Start focusing on the other easy changes you can make—such as carrying your own shopping bags to the grocery store and cutting out things like plastic wrap.
Accept there are times when you can’t avoid plastic. Instead, scan your life and ask: "How can I reuse this?”
- Buy in bulk and use plastic containers again (big yogurt containers for example)
- Try to make single-use plastic reusable
- Collect boxes and use them for moving or donating to people who are moving.
Reducing your use of plastic is a huge task, and you’re not always going to get it right.
Sometimes there simply aren’t no-plastic options, but that doesn’t mean you should give up or beat yourself up.
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Compostable Tableware, bags and packaging isn't really a solution and is being unadvisedly chosen as the best alternative.
The environmental benefits of compostables are not what they are touted as, because an increase of compostables in the rivers from the waste streams could have unpredictable consequences, and will create more and more trash.
It’s a philosophy of creating a more sustainable lifestyle by keeping your waste down to a (pretty hardcore) minimal amount, while helping the Earth and your own happiness in the process. Consequentially, you also save a ton of cash in the process.
It is more efficient to brew one cup at a time and you can choose from a great variety. However, it can be very costly. The excess packaging also causes environmental problems.
Using regular ground coffee with a reusable filter in your single-cup brewer may be a little more work, but will save you money.