By Julia Strimer and the Chelsea Zero Waste Coalition
The simplest, most effective solutions to the plastic pollution problem may lie in the past.
We didn’t always have a plastic pollution problem. Before the mid-20th century, people made do without it.
We could fix so much of the waste problem by returning to the past.
Here’s how we can update old practices to fit our modern lives.
Get a reusable water bottle. Plastic single-use water bottles weren’t available until 1989; one million plastic bottles are bought every minute, worldwide.
Use cloth bags for shopping. The single-use plastic bag didn’t come to America until 1979. Nearly two million single-use plastic bags are distributed worldwide every minute.
Bring a reusable container for leftovers. You can honor this tradition by bringing your own reusable container for leftovers to restaurants.
Refuse fast food. Fast food wasn’t available to our grandparents; you can choose to follow their lead and refuse all the waste generated by the fast food industry.
Do NOT buy foods wrapped in plastic. Take a produce bag for fruit and vegetables and ask for your meat wrapped in paper, as our grandparents did.
Switch back to solid soaps like our grandparents used. Liquid shower gels and handwash are one of the biggest sources of plastic waste.<
Remember the glass citrus juicer your grandparents used, and make fresh squeezed juice instead of buying juice in plastic bottles.
Stop using plastic straws, even in restaurants. 500 million plastic straws are used every day in America. If a straw is a must, purchase a reusable stainless steel or glass straw; these are reusable, unlike the paper straws our grandparents used.
Choose to refuse single-use plastics, protect your grandchildren and honor your grandparents.
For more information, please click here.
