Reduce Your Waste By Using Less Plastic Food Packaging

By Jaclyn Hurley


We hear constantly from environmental advocates about the amount of waste produced by modern society, and about the negative effects that waste has on the environment. Most people want to make a difference, but it is easy to feel as though that is impossible. With modern conveniences like plastic food packaging and bottled water, we often create waste without even thinking about it.

There is so much waste produced by common aspects of modern life that it is almost harder to avoid participating. However, it is definitely possible to figure out ways to reduce the waste created by you and your family. It takes extra thought and often extra time, but you will find that it gets easier as you get used to it. Also, you may find that you save some money in the process.

In this article you will find a few suggestions of methods for re-using things. When you re-use things, you create less waste, and save money, too!

Keep plastic containers and use them again. If you order food to be delivered or carried out, or buy prepared foods at a deli, you are going to wind up with plastic containers. Most of them are strong and sturdy enough for multiple uses. Hold on to them, and use them as tupperware. You can store vegetables after you have chopped them, or store individual servings of leftovers.

Save and reuse your plastic bags. Whether they are sandwich bags, storage bags, or grocery bags, plastic bags can be reused for many purposes. You can save the storage and sandwich bags for the same purpose for which you originally used them. As long as there wasn't raw meat inside, it should be fine to just wash them out. As for grocery bags, you can put them in small trash cans in place of regular trash bags, and you can also put them over your hair in place of shower caps!

Many things, from tissues to snack foods, are sold in small, individually wrapped packages. These things are not only wasteful as far as packaging goes, they also cost more for less product. Instead of buying them, make your own, by buying a regular sized package and then placing individual portions in the sandwich bags you've saved!

Try to avoid buying too many single-serving drinks in plastic bottles, too. When you do buy them, save the bottles. Then, next time you want to take water or iced tea or some other beverage with you, re-use a bottle you already have rather than purchasing a new single serving.

Recycle. No matter how much you attempt to re-use your containers, there will be some that you cannot save. And eventually, you will have to get rid of all of them. When this time comes, recycle as many items as you possibly can. It is much better to send plastic to a recycling center than to send it to a landfill.

We produce so much trash on the whole that it's true, no one person can completely solve the problem. But every little change contributes, and eventually they can ass up to big changes. In the meanwhile, you can save some money and rest assured that you're doing what you can.




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