Plastic items are such an essential part of our daily lives. It is almost impossible to make it through your day without acquiring some form of plastic. This is where the reuse bit comes in. Once plastic is in your possession, it comes down to you to be creative and find different usages for it.
Did you know that you can save money and reduce waste by washing and reusing certain plastics? Be it K-cups or bubble wrap, many plastic products that are supposedly disposable are reusable. And more often than not plastic, especially the ones with resealable openings have longevity beyond your desk lunch.
If you have used bags that are still in good shape, they can easily be hand washed and dried thoroughly. One can reuse plastic produce bags for sandwiches, plastic grocery bags for small trash bags, and reuse your plastic silverware! By reusing plastic, you will be reducing waste. Most people tend to miss this step and go directly to recycling, but reusing plastics can reduce the demand for new plastics to be created.
Once you have made good use of your plastics as many times as you could and are ready to dispose of it, choose the recycling container instead of the trash. Recycling plastic means the use of less energy as compared to making plastic from raw materials. Although it could be a hassle to clean your Nutella jar, recycling it rather than tossing it in the trash is worth the effort and the impact is significant.
Today it has become possible for almost all plastics to be recycled into something. Before, plastics could not be turned back into their original materials. Used plastic bottles now, can become materials for park benches and plastic bags become composite lumber. New innovations every day are making it more common for plastic to be recycled back into its original use.
Any plastic that you have already acquired can be reused and recycled to keep it out of the waste stream and reduce the demand for new plastic. With a little planning, commitment, and effort, it’s easy to take steps towards reducing your carbon footprint.