Reduce plastic every day

After the sea, the oceans, the beaches, the gardens, the sidewalks, and I could go on and on with the list, we now know that Plastic has also found its way into our tap waterThe one we use to wash ourselves and, as we often suggest, even to drink.

We know this thanks to an authoritative non-profit organization, it's called Orb Media, which produced a full-fledged study of 159 drinking water samples, taken from various countries around the world, in collaboration with several American universities. Therefore, we are within the realm of scientific documentation, and not the suggestions or alarms of cheap environmentalist fundamentalists. These researchers are so serious that, after announcing the discovery, they added two caveats about what we still don't know. First: what are the real health damages for these microscopic plastic fibers found in drinking water (a subject that needs further investigation). Fish, for example, even lose their skin when they ingest microplastics in the sea, but we still don't know the true effects on humans. Second: where does plastic in the water come from?From synthetic fabrics in some clothes? From improper disposal of home furnishings? The answers to these questions aren't there yet, but you'll see they'll be coming soon.

Meanwhile, the alarm about plastic microfibers in tap water relaunches, loud and clear, the fight against the enormous waste we cause every day: we need to reduce plastic consumptionSomething we can all do, everywhere, every day, and without much effort. We no longer need stories, images, alarms, scientific analyses. We know well how much plastic bags it invades us, even uselessly, and how it has entered our daily lives, first with arrogance, and then with our usual surrender as irresponsible people.

We get angry, we protest, we cry out for the usual Apocalypse, the End of the World, but we do little, almost nothing, to reduce, with small and normal daily lifestyle gestures, the consumption, and therefore the waste, of plastic. The same plastic that, for example, This translates into 32 pieces of (plastic) waste for every square kilometer of our sea..

Reducing plastic should be a commandment-goal engraved in our minds. It should be taught in schools, starting in kindergarten and elementary school. It should become a sort of narrative of change. Even with the famous laugh that buries the worst offenders, those who still indifferently and compulsively abuse this material. It should, indeed. Meanwhile, and look how simple it is, let's get straight to the goal of reducing plastic use, and therefore waste and the possible (very possible...) recycling of plastic. In three steps.

Fewer plastic objects

First move: Let's eliminate from our consumption items such as straws, even in bars, the shopping bags (without even trying to understand whether they are "eco-friendly" or "fake eco-friendly"), the plastic cutlery often used in brunch or at picnics, which, among other things, are a blow to aesthetics. A dinner with plastic forks, knives, and cups is by definition sad, even if the diners are the happiest and most entertaining people in the world. Plastic can be eliminated from the fridge to the balcony: there are natural alternatives for preserving food in the refrigerator (a cotton cloth soaked in beeswax is perfect for vegetables and fruit), and for our balcony, plastic pots, which, among other things, don't allow roots to breathe properly, can be replaced with pots made from rice husks (the husk of the grain).

Less packaging

Second move: let's change some purchasing paradigms, reminding us that 39 percent of plastic is used for packaging.  Plastic that's then thrown away, and not always in the right place. If we find a grocery store that guarantees good prices, good product quality, and real savings (and on this site we've selected a few in various Italian regions), let's make it a regular stop for our shopping. Like local markets. When we shop at a deli and they offer us plastic trays (which we pay for), let's refuse and ask for paper bags. If we can, we use washable diapersOr mineral water in glass bottles, or better yet, the mayor's water. Let's try to consider plastic reduction as a sort of filter through which we can pass our decisions regarding consumption patterns.

More recycling, reuse and repurposing

Third move. Let's all hear from each other, one by one, of the agents promoting this battleImagine: as if each of us had a pin pinned to our jacket, sweater, or shirt, with the simple message: No plastic. But more than a clothing accessory, our role as agents should translate into the goal of contaminating anyone who has contact or relationships with us (work, friendship, family). Let's encourage, for example, the fight against plastic waste in schools, through the voice of families in dialogue with teachers and principals. Let's give some good examples of how we've reduced plastic at home, and let's talk about it, amplify it, spread the word. Let's avoid those little bottles of water that are even illegal in some parts of the world. And if the delicatessen owner fills us with plastic, including paper and bags, for a pound of ham, let's politely warn him: No, thanks, I don't need it. Through word of mouth, small testimonies, and imitation, you'll see that reducing plastic will no longer be a late-environmentalist whim, but will become a shared and beneficial lifestyle.

Plastic in the sea

The big problem of plastic sea, with the numbers we saw at the beginning of this article, would be largely solved if we could, very simply, apply the famous three Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Remember that worldwide, 17 percent of food wrappers and straws are abandoned on beaches. A global and gigantic wasteReducing means creating less packaging, choosing loose products, and when it's not possible, properly disposing of the packaging or somehow reusing it. Reusing: plastic is not a good choice for this verb. Glass containers are ideal. Once you've emptied a plastic bottle, you'll always throw it away; a glass bottle, on the other hand, can be reused in many ways. To recycleIt's true that plastic can be recycled, usefully, and transformed from waste into a resource. But this once again requires our contribution as responsible individuals: it's up to us to dispose of plastic properly. This isn't difficult. as we explain here.

Plastic objects that can be replaced

An old adage applies to plastic: everything is useful, but nothing is truly indispensable. Let's take the example of strawsHave you ever wondered what they're for, other than creating a pointless bar scene? Nothing. We imported their use from the Americans, who at least have a solid alibi. They don't drink anything without ice, and therefore need straws. For us, that's not the case, and the same goes for others. objects reported hereIt's just a matter of starting to change something in our daily lifestyles and thinking about how not to waste.

The numbers of plastic

• On average, we pollute the seas with 10 million tons of plastic every year: that's as if a truckload of plastic were dumped around the world every minute.
• A plastic bottle takes 450 years to degrade.
• Plastic accounts for 80 percent of the debris in the oceans.
• 570 tons: that's the amount of plastic that ends up in the Mediterranean Sea every year. That's the equivalent of 33 plastic bottles every minute.
• On average, each Italian produces 1.000 grams of plastic waste every 5 days.
• By 2050, there will be more plastic in the sea than fish.

Read also:

• How does returnable packaging work in Germany?
• How to recycle plastic bottles
• Machine for recycling plastic at home

Sign up for our newsletter to stay up-to-date. Click here!