{"id":18510,"date":"2024-07-25T16:21:34","date_gmt":"2024-07-25T20:21:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.greenneedham.org\/blog\/?p=18510"},"modified":"2024-08-14T23:26:05","modified_gmt":"2024-08-15T03:26:05","slug":"three-simply-ways-to-reduce-plastic-consumption","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenneedham.org\/blog\/2024\/07\/three-simply-ways-to-reduce-plastic-consumption\/","title":{"rendered":"Three Simple Ways to Reduce Plastic Consumption"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Plastic Free July<\/a>, the global campaign discouraging plastic usage and supporting a more sustainable environment, is entering its last week — but it’s never too late to start cutting down on plastics. Here are three simple lifestyle changes you can make to reduce your plastic consumption and live greener.<\/p>\n

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  1. \n

    Eliminate disposable coffee cup consumption. Despite being made of paper, many of these cups have a plastic coating, which keeps the beverage warm but makes the cup unrecyclable.\u00a0 As these cups break down in landfills, they release microplastics into the environment. Styrofoam, or polystyrene, cups are a huge issue too.\u00a0 They are not biodegradable, and as they break down, they can release toxic chemicals into the environment, and even into your beverage.

    Since disposable coffee cups are so problematic yet pervasive, the Plastic Free Foundation has launched an \u201c    Up Cup<\/a>\u201d movement, urging consumers to \u201cBring, Borrow, or Stay.\u201d Bring a reusable cup for your coffee, and remember to keep some handy in your car and at your workplace. Borrow a mug from those caf\u00e9s that maintain \u201cmug libraries.\u201d Stay and enjoy coffee by sipping from caf\u00e9s\u2019 ceramic mugs.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

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    1. \n

      \"\"<\/a>Eliminate the usage of plastic produce bags. Discarded plastic bags sit in landfills for thousands of years or accumulate in plastic waste islands in our oceans, contributing to microplastics in our food sources. Furthermore, animals often get trapped in these bags and suffocate. The next time you go grocery shopping, consider whether you need to use a plastic bag. Do you really need to waste a produce bag for a bunch of bananas or can you just drop them in your cart? Moreover, try looking for fruit in recyclable boxes or baskets. Join the growing group of people utilizing reusable mesh produce bags, which can be found locally at Trader Joe\u2019s and Volante Farms, and online at ZeroWasteStore.com<\/a>, Amazon<\/a>, and other retailers.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

    2. \n

      Finally, try to buy more consciously. Think of all the plastic packaging that goes into the items you purchase. When shopping, look for recyclable cardboard packaging. Also, avoid single-use items and select products that will last. For example, utilize reusable containers rather than plastic wraps and bags to store food. Additionally, when you need an item, look first at thrift shops, Craigslist, Needham Freecycle<\/a>, and \u2018Buy Nothing\u2019 groups on Facebook. Shopping for second hand items is a great way to be sustainable and save money, too.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      These are some easy ways to be more environmentally friendly in your daily life. For a more in-depth, personal look at your plastic consumption, take this five-minute\u00a0Pesky Plastic survey<\/a>\u00a0by the Plastic Free Foundation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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      \"\"<\/a>
      \nSubmitted by Aarav V. Batra.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Plastic Free July, the global campaign discouraging plastic usage and supporting a more sustainable environment, is entering its last week — but it’s never too late to start cutting down on plastics. Here are three simple lifestyle changes you can<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":18518,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[336],"tags":[10],"class_list":["post-18510","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-plastic-waste-reduction","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenneedham.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18510","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenneedham.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenneedham.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenneedham.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenneedham.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18510"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenneedham.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18510\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenneedham.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18518"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenneedham.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18510"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenneedham.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18510"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenneedham.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18510"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}