Plastic is a considerable but above all persistent source of pollution: it never disappears but decomposes into micro-plastics that invade the oceans, soils and living organisms… which are us! It is time to adopt basic anti-plastic actions in our daily lives.
According to a WWF study, we ingest about 5g of plastic per week , the equivalent of a credit card! Cutting your food on a plastic board, eating seafood that has absorbed it through plankton or food packaging... the risk is ecological but also health-related. Here's what you can do:
Anti-plastic gestures in the kitchen
- Cook fresh foods to store in glass containers and avoid industrial ready meals presented in plastic trays which are reheated in the microwave and whose components can migrate into the food.
- Avoid classic sponges: made of soft plastic, they break down into crumbs that end up in wastewater. Adopt tawashis (Japanese sponges made of recycled fabric) or brushes with a wooden handle.
- Use kraft paper or cardboard bags instead of plastic garbage bags: the latter are either incinerated (releasing toxic fumes) or buried (decomposing in the ground), so it is urgent to avoid them.
- Forget about plastic wrap, which is not worth the short life. Discover “bee wrap”, reusable and natural pieces of wax-coated fabric!
- Stop buying plastic bottles, especially sodas, they are bad for the planet and your health! Unless you have a medical need, avoid mineral water in plastic bottles in favor of glass bottles or a filter to attach to the tap or even Binchotan-type charcoal to place in a glass water carafe to filter it naturally.
Anti-plastic gestures in the bathroom
- Plastic cotton buds have been banned since January 2020, but until this becomes more widespread, opt for an ear cleaner or a reusable cotton bud, or a cardboard or bamboo stick.
- Switch to solid soaps and shampoos instead of liquid shampoos and shower gels: these are hundreds of plastic bottles that will neither be produced nor thrown away! And what's more, there are plenty that smell divine!
- Toothpaste tubes, like toothbrushes, are never recycled... we adopt their wooden versions and toothpastes in metal tubes, or even in solid versions for eco-friendly brushing!
- Instead of tampons with plastic "compact" applicators and sanitary towels made of synthetic fibers, therefore plastic, opt for washable menstrual panties or infinitely reusable cups!
- Zero wipes: made of synthetic fibers, they are polluting. For you or your baby, opt for washable fabric wipes!
Anti-plastic gestures in the office
- Get yourself a mug so you never have to take a plastic cup from the coffee machine again! Even if they are made of cardboard, they are often lined with a plastic film which makes them non-recyclable… And this is valid for the “stirrers” that a good old spoon replaces wonderfully!
- If you have your lunch routine, at a caterer for example, bring your own containers , your cutlery and refuse the plastic bag!
Anti-plastic gestures outside
- Never throw your cigarette butt on the ground again: just one of these filters, made of cellulose acetate, a plastic fiber, takes more than 15 years to disintegrate and can pollute 500L of water. Throwing it in the street means allowing it to one day reach a river or the sea via unfiltered river waters.
- At the bar, ask for your mojito without a plastic straw! These should be banned soon but they still flow
Since January 1, 2021, single-use plastic straws, cutlery, and stirrers have been banned from sale but can still be distributed while stocks last. To allow manufacturers to adapt, the government has set itself the goal of being done with single-use plastics within… 20 years!
But no need to wait for the laws to do without them today: head to the bulk store, reusable and sustainable materials!
To go further: I stop plastic , Anne Thoumieux, Editions Leduc
