How Can I Fight Plastic Pollution?

You can reduce your plastic waste by following simple steps. Here we provide you with several small pieces of advice that can make a big difference.

Prevent disposable plastic bottles

Most disposable plastic bottles never reach the recycling process. They are directly thrown into the trash. Therefore you should use reusable plastic bottles or glass bottles.

Say NO to plastic bags

Each year 600 billion plastic bags are produced worldwide. Throughout their product life, these bags are only used 25 minutes on average. Cloth bags are the sustainable alternative that you can use for years to come.

Prevent packed foods

Buy fresh and loose groceries and transport them in containers you brought with you. 

Don´t use plastic straws

Drinks are regularly served with a plastic straw. These are only used once and are thrown away afterwards. Especially in cinemas plastic straws are frequently used. So the next time you order a drink in the cinema or a restaurant, simply ask for the drink to be served without a straw.   

Drink tap water

Plastic bottles, but also the plastic cap of glass bottles pollute our environment. On top of that it is believed that water that is filled into plastic bottles can change our hormone balance due to micro plastic. So as long as the tap water of your country or region is safe to drink: Drink it!    

Recycle

In comparison to other countries, European countries possess relatively efficient recycling systems. So use your local recycling system and separate your garbage to prevent it from getting into the environment. But recycling isn´t the cure for all problems. Even if you dispose and recycle your plastic, there is no guarantee that the next user of this piece of plastic will use and dispose it responsibly as well. Consequently the probability that plastic reaches the ocean at some point during its product life is extremely high. So use our pieces of advice and prevent the emergence of plastic waste in the first place. 

Buy boxes instead of bottles

Often, products like laundry detergent come in cardboard which is more easily recycled than plastic.

Use matches! 

Use matches instead of disposable plastic lighters or invest in a refillable metal lighter. 

Do you smoke? Quit Smoking or get rid of the filter! 

With 5,5 trillion cigarettes smoked every year, cigarette butts are by far the most collected item at beach clean ups. Cigarette filters are made from cellulose acetate, an artificial fiber that takes decades to break down. So stop smoking for the sake of the environment! But above all: Don´t throw the cigarette on the ground. Dispose it properly. If you don´t want to quit: You could think about stop using filters. A recent study showed that filters can actually INCREASE the likelihood of lung cancer. Read our Blog Article for further information.