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Toxic Thursdays: Reducing Plastic at Home

Your First Step to Reducing Plastic at Home

When plastic was created, it took America and the world by storm. What a great material – it doesn’t break, shred, rip, or scratch. It can stretch over food containers, it can freeze, it can fall off the table and not shatter – it’s every homeowner’s dream. Right?

Wrong. While plastic is extremely useful, it is also pretty harmful for the environment. Plastic is durable yes, but this also means it does not break down and lasts for a long time. This evidence can be seen in our landfills and our oceans where marine animals are now vying for space amid growing plastic trash piles that are moving with the currents.

It will take a massive effort to clean up our planet from all this plastic waste.
There are also a lot of unknowns when it comes to how plastic affects our health – read more about that here:

However, each of us can make a small difference right here in our homes. By choosing to eliminate some plastics from your home, you will be doing the planet a heap of good.

How do you get started?

Do you pack lunch for yourself or for your kids every day? There is an easy place to start.

Go reusable:

Note: As with anything, please remember that these bags are reusable and should be cleaned in between uses. I sponge them out with a little soap and then invert them over a glass or dish rack to air dry.

Now that you have these reusable containers, you can also use them to pack snacks for car trips and use them for storing leftovers in your kitchen.

Start to look around your kitchen and take a mental inventory of all the plastic that lives there. Think about ways to reduce those items – perhaps use mason jars to store leftover food instead of using the plastic containers. Glass and stainless steel are great for food storage. Stainless can even be used in the freezer.

It’s all about the small steps. One eco-friendly lunch today can equal a plastic-free kitchen in the future!

How do you reduce plastic in your home? Share with us in the comments!
Resources: http://www.treehugger.com/green-home/10-tips-living-less-plastic.html

*You may have noticed the blog name has changed - we have updated this regular blog to be called Be Real. On the Be Real blog you can expect healthy living topics from the front lines of parenting and family life! Enjoy!

Rachel Mavity

Rachel Mavity

Rachel Mavity is the Digital Communications Coordinator with Beebe Healthcare's Marketing and Communications Department. On Toxic Thursdays, she writes about saving the earth and ways to reduce our footprint. She also now blogs over at Be Real on this site.