Recycling plastic at home: tips on how to reduce its use

Figures released by Greenpeace show that global plastic production has soared over the last 50 years. In just the last 10 years, more plastic has been produced than in the entire history of humanity. So, bearing in mind how difficult it is to eliminate and the damage it causes to the ecosystem, we are proposing 5 easy ways to recycle plastic at home. Remember that the key is to cut back on its use. Turn your house into a space for living sustainably

It should be mentioned that plastic is present in everything around us: in packaged food, beauty products contain plastic and electronic goods such as computers and telephones are made of plastic. Furthermore, in most cases the useful life of plastic lasts no longer than 20 minutes, with almost all of it being produced for a single use. It takes a long time to biodegrade and adds to the ever expanding volume of waste.

Becoming aware and making an effort to reduce your plastic use is essential if we want to change this paradigm. With a few small changes it is possible to achieve great things if you decide to use plastic responsibly. Are you ready?

5 tips for recycling and reducing plastic use at home

1 > Reuse bottles

Forget about buying plastic bottled water and opt for reusable glass bottles. You could also buy larger containers and refill smaller ones rather than buying lots of smaller bottles.

2 > Use bags not made out of plastic

An important solution is to use reusable bags for supermarket shopping instead of the throw-away plastic ones. Cloth, paper or cardboard bags are a better option to avoid the unnecessary use of plastic.

3 > Do not use straws

Plastic straws are often used to drink soft drinks, which generate a lot of unnecessary plastic waste. So, replace plastic straws with paper ones or do not use them at all. This is a very simple action you can take.

4 > Buy products in bulk

At the supermarket, many food items are wrapped in plastic. To recycle and reduce plastic use in the home, we recommend using cloth or raffia bags to purchase items in bulk and avoid the use of packaging. 

5 > Choose alternative cleaning products

Another way of reducing your use of plastic at home is to choose alternative cleaning products rather than those sold in supermarkets. You will be surprised how effective natural products such as vinegar and sodium bicarbonate are. And you don’t need many different types of soap for each surface, a neutral soap can be used for cleaning almost everything.

To sum up, by putting into practice these 5 tips for recycling plastic and cutting down on its use at home, you will be helping to save the planet. Big changes begin with small steps!