Did you know that each year, 1 million plastic bags enter the San Francisco Bay alone? Today is International Plastic Bag Free Day, and we thought that rather than just tell people not to use plastic bags for a day (because obviously, all of those bags aren’t just coming from one day’s use), we thought we’d offer five easy ways to cut back on the use of plastic bags and plastic in general. And quite possibly the best part of all of these tips? They are great money-saving options, as well! Who doesn’t like that?
1. Compost, baby!
Here’s a sad fact I learned recently: nearly one-third of all of the food in the world never gets eaten. Crazy, isn’t it? If you have any sort of yard or garden space, composting is your soil’s best friend, and it doesn’t have to stink up your house or yard to work. Here’s a whole site with guides on how to compost, but my favorite tip I’d read is to re-use old kitty litter containers as compost bins!
2. Opt for food items in glass instead of plastic, and then reuse the empty jars.
Recently, I’ve been trying to move towards glass storage containers for leftovers rather than plastic tupperware, and it really has cut down on the amount I recycle (or throw in the garbage) as well as how much plastic we use. Jars are great because you can use them for tupperware, but they can also become favorite drinking glass, too. Regardless of how you reuse glass containers, you’ll never have to worry about harmful BPAs leaching into your food or beverage from them!
3. Re-use heavy-duty demo bags as a garbage can liner.
Most people don’t use a liner for their their outdoor bin, they just fill it with one tied-up bag after another. Why not let your garbage go au-natural once it’s outside though? Rather than buying regular garbage bags, try this trick that a green building contractor in Brooklyn uses and line your indoor can with a heavy-duty demo bag that can be re-used for one garbage load after another without disposing until it’s really worn out and thin. When it’s time to take out the trash, empty your indoor can out but leave the demo bag in. You won’t need to worry about rinsing the indoor can out, which saves water, you’ll get several uses out of the liner, and you’ll actually save money on bags. You can pick up demo bags on the cheap at most local home improvement shops.
4. Bring your own re-usable bags to the produce aisle.
Many people having starting bringing re-usable bags to the checkout line at the store, but I’m willing to bet that when most people visit the produce aisle, they aren’t buying enough produce to warrant needing separate plastic bags for each kind of fruit or veggie, either (really? You used two separate bags for one head of lettuce and one broccoli stalk? Why?). If you’re going to the store to buy heaps of produce, just bring your own re-usable bags from home.
5. Make your next BBQ or large gathering into a BYOT (Bring Your Own Tableware) event.
I contemplated this very thing as I planned a large Sunday brunch in my backyard last weekend and set out paper plates, plastic cups, and plastic utensils for guests to use once and then throw away, it just felt like such a shame that I didn’t think to ask my guests to bring their own. It’s such a giant waste to put out disposable utensils when everyone whose coming to the party is certain to own at least one cup, dish, and utensil set. Money saved on disposable tableware can buy at least another bottle of wine, and think of how much easier cleanup will be when the party’s over!
Want more ideas on how to re-use and recycle plastic? Check out this creative tip list from users at Earth911.com.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSD21zp89zM&feature=colike]
Tip number two is genius for people (like me!) who have little storage space. When you live in a small apartment, storing bulk food items like rice or beans becomes problematic. Using jars for storage helps save on space and it looks cute too! Who doesn’t love mason jars?
The answer is that “Don’t nobody don’t like no mason jars.” That was my best Donkey from Shrek impression, FYI. Did you hear it?