20 Tricks To Help You Break Up With Plastic

Gourmandize

1. Give up bottled water

When you drink directly from plastic bottles, you are exposing your body to hormone-disrupting phthalates. Also, all those thrown-away bottles pile up somewhere (often in the world's landfills and oceans — taking up to 400 years to decompose).

Better choose a reusable, refillable, glass or stainless steel bottle instead.

2. Carry a stainless steel travel mug

Start drinking your morning coffee from one of these, and it'll become your new adult security blanket.

6. cut out plastic-bottled beverages entirely

Not just water, but bottled sodas, juices, and smoothies as well.

3. Carry reusable shopping bags

They're stronger and more stylish anyways!

4. Carry your own containers

What's worse than eating your lovely lunch out of flimsy, warm plastic? Get yourself some nice glass containers — they're healthier, easy to clean, and far more pleasureable to eat out of.

You can use these for leftovers, office lunches, and even request them for take-out food.

5. Carry reusable utensils

Plastic sporks are useless and break all the time anyways. And there's nothing cooler than whipping out a French picnic knife at lunch!

7. avoid plastic produce bags

Do you really need a plastic bag for one bell pepper? If you have to weigh your fruits and veggies, place the price labels on them directly or on another food item. 

8. stop consuming frozen convenience foods

And definitely never reheat anything while it's still in a plastic container (doing so increases chemical leech-rate by up to 55%).

9. Buy fresh bread

Choose bread that's wrapped in paper, or select unwrapped bread and wrap it in your own reusable cloth.

10. Make your own condiments

Those sauces sit in plastic bottles for months, if not years. Cook them at home and spice them just how you like instead—they'll be so much tastier!

11. Keep your own reusable foodware at the office

You'll also know exactly how clean it is.

12. Carry lunches in reusable cloth bags

The Japanese have turned this into an artform... It's stunning.

13. Avoid non-stick cookware

Learn to cook with cast-iron equipment, and you'll never look back.

14. Learn to preserve foods without plastic

Reusable glass containers work just as well.

15. Compost food waste

Cut down on your plastic garbage bag use, and create nutrient-rich, healthy soil at the same time!

16. Clean with vinegar and water

You can avoid bottled cleaning products entirely by making your own cleaning solution at home. You will be astonished at the fantastic uses of vinegar!

17. Wear natural fibers

It'll save you money and means you'll be consuming less plastic.

17. Stop Using Microbeads

Microbeads don't wash away and go to heaven — they end up in your rivers, your lakes, and your oceans... And eventually they end up in the fish that you eat.

18. Use bar soap instead of liquid hand soap

Bar soap has been around for centuries: it's beautiful, smells great, and does the job. Look to the wisdom of the ancients!

19. Stop Using Disposable Razors

Your grandfather used one razor for years, and it gave him a better shave. Consider switching to a razor with a replaceable blade or a straight razor.

20. Repair things when they break

Polyester, acrylic, lycra — these are all plastic fabrics. Opt instead for natural fabrics, like cotton, wool, silk, and linen. They're better for your body, pollute less, and are more comfortable. 

Plastic can be avoided if you make these choices! But if you have to use it from time to time, here are 5 ways to upcycle plastic bottles.

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