Anyone else had strict Puerto Rican parents? I’ve met strict parents… but something about Boricuas takes it up a notch!
My parents made sure I wasn’t wasteful and I wasn’t a slob. So I always used up everything and never littered. As I got older, I still carried that with me and made sure I left the beach/park/ table better than how I found it.
Then I watched Wall-E. Yup… the pixar movie, Wall-E, and I was so heartbroken at the way they produce waste and how careless they were about earth. (DON’T JUDGE ME! I cried when Mufasa died too!) So I started to recycle even more! I was more careful about what I put in the trash. I started buying stuff from the “Vintage Stores” *cough cough* Savers *cough* GoodWill *cough*cough*. Then when I became pregnant I couldn’t believe how many diapers are in landfills so I cloth diapered Penny. (Not everyone enjoys this but I did)
Last year I noticed the increased popularity on banning plastic. Starbucks Banned Straws, many citys banned plastics bags, some cities even limited the trash you could dispose of! So naturally, I looked into reducing my plastic waste. Some of the stuff about plastic I discovered were HORRENDOUS!
Different kinds of plastic can degrade at different times, but the average time for a plastic bottle to completely degrade is at least 450 years. It can even take some bottles 1000 years to biodegrade! That’s a long time for even the smallest bottle.
Ways I have reduced our waste
Shopping in bulk or in a zero-waste store. (Buying in bulk means less packaging) For your nearest zero-waste store check out Litterless.com
I have stopped using as many ziplocs and use mostly reusable food containers. I am planning on investing on these silicone ziplocks soon since they seem to be so popular!
I limit the use of disposable tableware to times when I have more guests than I have plates/cups/bowls. If you rather use disposables more frequently, there are biodegradable disposable options. I have not used these yet but will probably do so when we decide to have a dinner party.
Use reusable totes when grocery shopping. Almost every store sells them now and they can be quite affordable. There is already awareness of the damage plastic bags do to our environment and bans on plastics bags are already in place in two states and many Massachusetts cities.
Don’t go out and replace all the plastic in your home! This is creates more waste from production, packaging, and shipping. Just cut down on what you buy and when the time comes to replace an item, this is the perfect time to choose an eco-friendly product. I recently ruined a plastic spatula on a stove top griddle so when I went to replace it, I purchased a bamboo product. You can also find Teak Wood cooking utensils.
Stop using plastic straws! We recently discovered metal straws and are LOVING them. I found a perfect 8 piece set of metal straws WITH the cleaning brushes on amazon for a great price! I will be getting Penny some shorter silicone ones since I don’t feel safe having her use such long metal straws while wandering our home.
Start using reusable water bottles! Most beverage containers sit in landfills and can take over over 450 years to decompose!!! You can really reduce your waste by using a reusable beverage container. I probably drink the equivalent of 4 or 5 bottles a day. By using a Metal insulated cup/bottle I eliminated all that waste!!
You don’t have to go balls to the wall when it comes to making changes. Start with one new change and once you adjust, add another! Replace bad habits with good! Our planet thanks you!
Lots of Love,
Melissa
The heaven of heavens is for God,
but he put us in charge of the earth.
Psalms 115:16
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Nerdy Mom 