When you throw something away, where do you think “away” is?
Almost everything we consume creates some amount of waste. Although we can certainly accuse large companies and restaurant chains of mass wastefulness, our collective toss-outs contribute senselessly to our landfill. Even more important than recycling is reducing, refusing and reusing. Recycling is not justification to use something, it’s just a last resort for the stuff you “have to” use.
Believe that you are making a difference, because regardless of your actions, you are currently having an impact, whether it’s a negative one or a positive one– what kind of impact are you going to choose to have?
The American population tosses out enough paper bags and plastic cups, forks and spoons every year to circle the equator 300 times. Since this waste and other packaging can remain in our landfills forever, and the plastics could in fact be poisoning us all, let’s jump to the conclusion that these single-use disposables are not convenient.
Essentials include:
- A Reusable Lunch Bag (if it’s insulated, ensure that it’s lead-free)
- Reusable Glass or Stainless Steel Food Containers (leakproof ones are a huge plus)
- A Reusable, Insulated Mug (it’ll keep your hot drinks, hot and your icy cool drinks cold)
- A plastic-free reusable water bottle (perspective: if you leave your wallet at home, you can’t buy anything – if you leave your water bottle at home, you can’t buy bottled water)
- An organic cloth napkin or 3 (you have to do laundry anyway, right?)
- Stainless Steel or Bamboo Cutlery and Glass Drinking Straws (easy to wash and stash)
So, stop throwing your money away on disposables and over packaged foods – literally. Enjoy your food, save your money, improve your health and help our planet by embracing the BYO revolution!