We’ve all heard the facts. We all know how bad it is for us and the planet. But not using plastic in this day and age can seem like an impossible feat. It’s everywhere! It packages the foods we buy, the electronics we love, and makes up a large part of the toys we buy our children and pets. In the US, we throw away enough disposable plates, cups, and utensils annually to circle the globe 300 times! Now, maybe you don’t use plastic plates and cups at home (or even camping!), but what are some other ways to reduce your plastic consumption in 2012 and beyond? Keep reading for three simple tips.

Don’t buy food wrapped in plastic. Okay, maybe this step isn’t all that simple. So much comes wrapped in plastic these days. But by being conscious of your food’s packaging and trying to buy cardboard- or glass-packaged items as often as possible, you’ll be pleased to see how much your plastic consumption will decrease.

Bring your own reusable bags to the grocery store. Yes, yes, we all know plastic bags are bad. And odds are that you probably own a few, if not many, reusable bags that you just keep forgetting to take to the store with you on grocery days. So how do you guarantee that you’ll always have a reusable tote on hand? Pack them in your car so you won’t forget! (And if that doesn’t help, buy some super cute bags that you’ll always want to take with you.) Oh, and don’t forget the produce bags; they can be purchased in a reusable version, as well!

Use rechargeable batteries. Not only do disposable batteries leach large amounts of cadmium, lead, and mercury into landfills every year, but they also come packaged in –you guessed it– plastic! Use batteries that you can charge again and again for a greener new year.

To find even more ways to reduce your plastic consumption, visit this website!

Tags: cotton, eco-friendly, ecofriendly, environment, food, green, health, lunch tote, Produce Bags, product, recycle, reusable, shopping, sustainability, sustainable, tips, tote

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 5th, 2012 at 10:12 pm and is filed under Eco-Friendly Tips, Green Living, Kitchen, Sustainability, Sustainable Products. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.