Much of the plastic waste occurs as microplastics: pieces of plastic between 5 micrometers and 5 millimeters. Our water treatment plants find it difficult to filter out such particles. They end up in surface water and eventually in the sea, where all kinds of sea animals eat them.
The awareness is growing and various authorities are organizing actions to lessen plastic waste. However, plastic remains a useful material. What matters is that it is properly recycled and that it does not end up in the environment. Not only governments and companies, but users also play an indispensable role.
10 Ways to Avoid Plastic Litter
1. Never leave rubbish on the street, in nature, on the beach. Throw it in a trash can. If you don’t find one or it is overcrowded, keep your waste up to the next trash can. If you stuff extra waste into an already overflowing bin, chances are it will blow away. You can also simply keep your waste at home or store them in storage like London self storage and then sort your things for later – to give away, to recycle or to reuse.
2. Avoid prepackaged fast food on the go or throw the packaging in the waste bin.
3. Only put your garbage on the street just before the garbage truck arrives. This will reduce the chance that the bag will tear and waste will roam around.
4. Do not leave balloons at a party. Balloons are by far the deadliest plastic a seabird can swallow! One in five animals that ingest a single fragment dies from it. Do not use them.
5. Clean up litter plastic yourself. Or maybe you can participate in a beach cleaning at your travel destination?
6. Sort your plastic waste as best you can. Not all plastic can already be put in the PMD bag today. The industry still has work to do to better recycle the various types of plastics. But already today many container parks offer the possibility of collecting hard plastic and plastic films separately, for example. Take advantage of it. This way less plastic ends up in the residual waste.
7. Use reusable bags and pouches. Bring a shopping bag when you go shopping and decline the plastic bags offered. Also, bring reusable bags to store your fruit or vegetables.
8. Avoid all kinds of disposable plastic material. All that has plastic material in it. Prefer using reusable utensils even if you are out in restaurants. Reusable utensils such as spoon, fork, drinking bottle, and even straws are available so that you don’t have to sort to using plastic disposable materials. And if you have a baby at home, you can use the traditional washable baby diapers.
9. Avoid plastic packaging. Instead of buying prepackaged slices of cheese, you can also cut the desired number of slices. Today, there are already stores that offer products such as nuts, grains, pasta and beans without packaging. You just bring your reusable bags or jars.
10. Do not buy water in plastic bottles. Bring your own water, as simple as that.
