Seven Simple Ways To Reduce Your Plastic Footprint (And Why You Should Care)
Plastic bottles , carry bags, six-pack rings, plastic straws, disposable cutlery and styrofoam takeout containers— plastic products like these are so ubiquitous that we barely even notice them, let alone think of the damage they are doing to the environment. Over 300 million tons of plastic is produced every year, 50% of which consists of single-use items like straws, stirrers, coffee cups and shopping bags. Since just around 20% of plastic is actually recycled per year globally, the majority of the plastic waste ends up in landfills. That’s not all. According to the United Nations (UN), a staggering eight million tons of this plastic trash makes its way into our oceans each year—killing approximately one million sea birds and 100,000 marine animals annually as they either become entangled in or ingest the plastic debris. But plastic pollution is not just a threat to animals, it’s harmful to us humans, too. “Once plastic reaches the environment in the form of macro- or micropla