Reduce Reuse and Recycle To Help the Environment (Without Banning Straws)

When a disabled person opposes a plastic straw ban, someone invariably asks, Don’t you care about the environment?

Silly question. Of course disabled people care about the environment! But some of us need plastic straws.

• Some disabled people cannot drink out of a cup – we don’t have the hand strength and control to do so.
• Reusable straws are hard to clean and keep hygienic.
• Steel straws? Cannot drink hot or cold beverages out of them without risking injury.
• Paper straws fall apart.
• Other straws can splinter, cause allergic reactions, and/or trigger sensory processing problems.

We focus our efforts differently. Eliminating plastic straws will not solve the ocean waste problems. Until a practical alternative can be developed, Plastic straws need to be available to those who need them.

When we see a plastic object that does not have a reasonable substitute, we move on to other areas of change. Eliminating plastic straws from restaurants won’t solve the ocean waste problems. We need to make comprehensive global changes at the individual level. We need to look at what we do each day and what we can reasonably implement.  It’s not hard to find simple starting points.

Let’s start at the very beginning (a very good place to start). Protecting the environment starts with the 3 R’s – Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.

Reduce

You think about recycling a plastic bottle, but have you thought about what happens to the cap? In far too many situations, the cap ends up in the ocean. By unit count, caps are the #2 source of ocean waste (behind food wrappers and containers). Caps are particularly dangerous since they float, and sea birds mistake them for food. Populations of sea birds like the Pacific Albatross are declining and could be headed for extinction, Reducing plastic cap waste not only helps the ocean, but the living creatures that live in an ocean habitat.

How can you reduce plastic caps? One of the easiest ways is to cut down on is to use another R – replace. Replace those caps and bottles with a refillable water bottle.

You can find bottles that use filters if you’re concerned about water quality. Some are even insulated to keep the drink at the right temperature. And they are far more attractive than a plastic water bottle.

Schools, businesses, and other organizations are replacing the typical water fountain with one that includes a water bottle filling station.

Bonus tip: Pay attention! Don’t be that person who gets a cup of coffee and then carelessly swipes at the coffee stirrers and knock a bunch of stirrers out of the dispenser. You may only use one, but you’ve turned several more into trash by your carelessness. Just take a moment to get the one stirrer, one straw, 1 or 2 napkins that you’re going to use.

Reuse

Single use plastic products are responsible for a significant portion of ocean waste. Per National Geographic, 18 billion pounds of plastic waste flows into the oceans every year from coastal regions. A big culprit? Plastic shopping bags. Time for some fun facts.

• 12 millions barrels of oil are used each year to produce plastic bags.
• A plastic bag is used, on average, for only 12 minutes.

You can have an impact by changing from single use grocery bags to reusable bags. They’re sold all over the place in a variety of sizes and colors.  Shopping in style could include baskets, cloth bags, and plastic bags.

Yeah, I know, I said replace plastic bags with plastic bags. What I mean is replace single-use plastic bags with reusable plastic bags.

• Plastic bags can stop meat juice from leaking, so your floors and counters are less likely to be contaminated. Single-use bags are flimsy and tear easily. A thicker reusable bag is stronger.

• Let’s do some math. If you buy 5 bags of groceries each week and don’t recycle, that’s 260 single-use bags that could end up as ocean waste. With reusable bags, you’ve used only 5 bags during the year, and none of them ended up as ocean waste.

Bonus tip: Keep them everywhere! Buying reusable bags is great, but they don’t help if you just leave them at home. For easy portability, many of them are smaller than a pack of gum once folded.

Put your reusable grocery bags in the trunk of your car so you have them at the grocery store. Keep one in your car armrest just in case you need to run a quick errand. Put them in your purse, your backpack, or anywhere else they could be useful.

Recycle

Sure, we recycle already, but not nearly as much as we can. National Geographic reports on how low recycle rates really are.

Need ideas on how to recycle more?

• Check out what your local curbside recycling program will/won’t accept. Our recycling bin has an illustrated list on top of the recycling bin.
• Many grocery stores have bins to collect plastic and paper bags for recycling. Find out where the bins are located at your store. If they don’t have bins, talk to the store manager about adding them.
• Some recycling centers will accept items that are not included in curbside pickup. Find out where your recycling centers are and what you could take to them.

Want Even More Ideas?

Check out the Plastic Better Alternatives Now (BAN) bulletin to see more plastic waste sources and suggestions for how to reduce plastic waste.

Sources:

Fast Facts About Ocean Pollution
6 Most Common Sources of Plastic Pollution
The Plastic BAN List (Better Alternatives Now)
10 Facts About Single-Use Plastic Bags