5 Eco-Friendly Alternatives to Harmful Single-Use Plastics [OPINION]

The deepest manned sea exploration ever recorded has just been accomplished, but what was found on the mission leaves us to face a harsh reality. According to CNN“Victor Vescuvo journeyed 35,853 feet to the bottom of the Challanger Deep, the southern end of the Pacific Ocean’s Mariana Trench, as part of a mission to chart the world’s deepest underwater places.” While Vescuvo had discovered four new species that could help aid in our understanding of Earth-life origins, he had also found plastic bags and candy wrappers. 

While the discovery of these new-found deep-sea species are exciting and give us the ability to find out more about our origin story, there is also a lot to learn about our use of plastics. According to the CNN articlethe species that were found include “’vibrantly colorful rocky outcrops that could be chemical deposits, prawn-like supergiant amphipods, and bottom dwelling holothurians or sea cucumbers.” These new species will be tested to find out exactly how much plastic these creatures are taking in.

While it’s depressing to hear that our single-use plastics have affected our planet down to its deepest depths, it’s also not much of a surprise. According to National Geographic “More than 5 trillion pieces of plastic are already floating in out ocean.” Even though we have already polluted our oceans with copious amounts of plastic, there are easy and simple changes that we can make in our day-to-day lives that can help reduce the addition of even more plastics.

1. Swap Plastic Bags for Reusable Ones

This is a simple trade that has been proposed to us for years, but it’s still relevant. That’s why Hawaii, California, and New York have implemented a ban of single-use plastic bags and why numerous cities either banned plastic bag use, implementing a taxation on single-use shopping bags, or both. According to theWorld Watch Institute“every year, Americans reportedly throw away 100 billion plastic bags.”  Simply reusing those flimsy cloth urban outfitters bags when grocery shopping is better than contributing to our planetary demise.

2. Ditch the Straw, and Maybe the Top Too?

 More and more businesses are distancing themselves from using plastic straws by leaving the choice up to the customer of whether they want to use a straw or not or switching to a paper alternative. Even big corporations such as Starbucks and Alaska Airlines are planning to phase out of using the plastic straw. According to National Geographic“in just the U.S. alone, one estimate suggests 500 million straws are used every single day.” I’m sure everyone has either seen or heard about the videoof the turtle with the straw lodged into its nose. So, let’s avoid contributing to that and opt out of using a plastic straw or even a top for that matter, because I’m sure if you’re an adult you don’t require the extra plastic at home.

3. Switch Out Your Plastic Toothbrush for a Bamboo One

Bamboo toothbrushes are a great biodegradable alternative to the ever-lasting plastic, due to its durability and the sustainable nature of bamboo production. CNNreports that “consumers on average will use 300 toothbrushes during their lifetime (4 toothbrushes a year).” That translates into about 12 pounds of plastic that is being thrown away by each person. Bring down the amount of plastic being used to clean your teeth and opt for a nice bamboo toothbrush that can easily be tossed into a compost heap. 

4. Reconsider the Plastic Water Bottles for a Reusable Metal One

Though avoiding single-use water bottles seems like another simple solution, plastic water bottles that are both single-use and reusable contain chemicals such as BPA. Even as BPA is used increasingly used less by water bottle manufacturing companies, the alternatives to the chemical are not much better and react with our bodies in a similar way.National Geographicreports that chemicals like BPA “act like hormones or disrupt normal hormone functions,” and “that BPA and its alternatives could eventually cause a decrease in sperm counts in males and a reduction in egg quality for females. What’s more, the changes can be passed down to subsequent generations.” These toxic chemicals are not worth the bodily harm or the environmental impact, so choose a fun glass or metal bottle opposed to a plastic one when looking for a reusable option.

5. Trade the Glitter for Natural Shimmer

Microplastics are a dangerous threat to our oceans and glitter is no exception. While glitter may seem to be a fun option when picking out cosmetics, it is essentially made up of glorified microplastics. According to National Geographic glitter is made from plastic sheets and is used in products such as cosmetics. When the glitter is washed down the drain it contributes to the microplastics which are “consumed by plankton, fish, shellfish, seabirds, and other marine life.”  Companies such as Lush Cosmeticshave already swapped out their plastic glitter for synthetic Mica. So If you need that extra glam for in your life, opt for a more sustainable choice than glitter. The fish aren’t your enemies, so you don’t need to be sending them any glitter. 

Although plastics may seem convenient and fun, they are detrimental to the planet, and in turn harmful to every living being that resides here. Even the deepest places in our oceans are being overpowered by the toxic man-made materials. Making simple switches to hinder the contribution to plastic pollution is an important step to take, not just for our own sake but also for the sake of our fellow earthlings.