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The Scourge of Single Use Plastic and What You Can Do

16 by Becky Striepe on November 1, 2010

plastic waste pollutes a river

In a recent TED Talk, Dianna Cohen delved into the root of our plastic problem. It's a quick talk and definitely worth the watch:

My favorite point that she makes is that we need to adopt a fourth "R" to go along with the old "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" addage: REFUSE. This makes total sense, though sometimes it's easier said than done.

What can we do to cut single-use plastic out of our lives? Here are a few ideas that I came up with, and I'd love to hear yours!

  • Ditch the bottled water. It's easy and healthier to bring your own, reusable bottle!
  • Avoid processed foods in plastic wrappers.
  • Bring your own take out container when you go out to eat.
  • Buy beans, grains, and dried fruit in bulk, and bring your own container. Many natural food stores will weigh your container and zero out the scale so you don't pay for the extra weight.
  • Look for toys and games at the thrift store, since those shed their disposable plastic packaging long ago.
  • Buy handmade. Hit up local craft markets for gifts and personal shopping. Many handmade sellers skip the plastic packaging, since they're not storing their goods in a huge warehouse.
  • Skip the plastic produce bag at the store. Do you really need all of your apples in a plastic bag?
  • Bring your own bag to the grocery store.

So spill it! What are some of the things you've done to cut single-use plastic out of your life?

Image Credit: Creative Commons photo by plasticpollution

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About the Author:

Becky Striepe is a green blogger and independent crafter with a passion for vintage fabrics. She runs a crafty business, Glue and Glitter, where her mission is to make green crafting and vegan food accessible to everyone! You can find .

Twitter Follow Becky Striepe on Twitter: @glueandglitter
  • http://arcticcirclecartoons.com Alex Hallatt

    I buy flatbread wraps that come in a ziplock plastic bag. This is washed and reused many times. I always keep one folded in my handbag so that if I’m out and need to doggy bag my food, I can use my own bag (good in Melbourne as some restaurants do not give patrons doggy bags for fear of food poisoning lawsuits!).

    I don’t use clingfilm to wrap food, only reused bags, or bowls – most things keep really well in the fridge if you put a plate on top of the bowl they are in.

    • Becky Striepe

      Great ideas! It’s interesting that some places near you don’t offer doggie bags. Have you found that it encourages folks to bring their own containers?

      • http://arcticcirclecartoons.com Alex Hallatt

        I wish! Nope – it just encourages them to feel bad and walk away, knowing more food will be wasted….

        • Becky Striepe

          That’s a bummer! I was just reading about how wasted food equates to wasted energy. The leftovers problem is tricky, since disposable doggie bags waste energy, too.

    • http://www.jjg-paperbag.com Paul

      We are creating a dirty world for our children. People enjoy the convenience brought by the technology but forgot the basic of life is clean air, clean water, and clean soil. Goblal warming has already been a massive killers to thousands of global citizen. While those who lost their lives are usually the ones innocent.
      Less Pollution, Less Plastic more paper bag.

      One more thing, do you think that the plastic containers are really healthy for you?
      Study shows that when placed under direct sunshine or within the high temperature(like car in the summer). The plastic packaging will release toxic factors that are not healthy at all to our body.

      Think about our children.

  • http://www.puremothers.com Pure Mothers

    We do all of those things, except thrift store toys. I have done a few, but there are not many good wooden toys NOT made in China with potential lead paint available at thrift stores. And I don’t want plastic toys – even reused. Wood, metal and cloth are better for the senses, in my opinion. I want to know my toys are safe, so I buy from companies that won’t pack with plastic. Nova Naturals in the US and MyriadOnline in the UK are great for that.

    Here’s an additional one that we do: Going vegetarian or vegan cuts down on a lot of plastic. Eating mostly fruits, vegetables and seeds, nuts and beans that can be purchased in bulk – all of these can go into reusable cloth shopping bags, cuts down on plastic wrap and foam trays.

    • Becky Striepe

      Great point about safety! I’ll have to look into those companies.

  • http://www.hackublog.com/ Facebook

    Great ideas! It’s interesting.

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  • http://www.blueberrywiz.com Otaku

    a good article for read