Have you ever wondered what happens to your old phones, old furniture, automobiles when they are no longer of use — or the covers of biscuits, chips and other things you buy on a daily basis? Even something as miniscule as that straw used for drinking juice can pile up to a lot of garbage if accumulated over time from many people. For us as consumers, the single-use plastic only matters that one time, and we no longer take responsibility for it once we are done using it. Now, since the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic, it has become a much bigger concern and extremely unsustainable, with the unregulated disposal of masks, protective gear, goggles, gloves and surgical materials. While Tetra Pak is said to be 100% recyclable, it can only be recycled by machines that have the capacity to handle it — which is not always the case. These containers often end up in landfills and unable to be processed further into anything of sustainable use.
National Geographic claims that about 79% percent of our plastic wastes end up in landfills with no further use or possibility of being converted into anything else. Some of these wastes end up in the earth as litter, while some obviously end up in the ocean, or washed up on the beaches. If plastic wastes continue to pile up at the pace we currently maintain, the world could have more than 12 billion metric tons of plastic in landfills, by the year 2050. It is imperative that we work towards reducing the waste we generate daily — be it plastics, E-wastes or even food wastes. The general statistic is that almost a third of all food produced goes to waste — which is indeed a shameful state of affairs, considering the destruction of natural forests to create farming land, or even the over-breeding of livestock for the purpose of food.
The eco-friendly alternatives to these problems are not inaccessible, in fact they are now well within our reach — with many people making the effort to be more mindful of the consequences that the next generation could face. We need to avert disaster, avoid the unnecessary piling of waste, and regulate how we use other resources available to us. For one, we can make use of reusable steel straws or copper straws. Make the switch to bamboo toothbrushes, use upcycled mats, and decorative items in your home which are made through sustainable practices and empower the rural communities. These can be easily found on Upciclo, a newly developed website that ethically sources organic, biodegradable products made with natural or upcycled materials.
When we were growing up, many of our relatives often gifted us bamboo or wooden toys, but somewhere in between, parents switched to entertaining their children with plastic toys and games, that also came in bulky plastic packaging. Upciclo is promoting the practice of paying with wooden toys again, which are sustainable, eco-friendly and non-toxic, while also being cost effective and more durable than their plastic counterparts. Similar to eco-friendly products like reusable sanitary napkins or menstrual cups, Upciclo also sells washable and reusable diapers, which can help in the combined effort to reduce the pile up of unusable wastes. These are trusted by pediatricians, with a waterproof exterior and a super-dry, absorbent inner pad.
If you drink water from PET bottles, it would be a great idea to start using copper bottles instead, which are totally BPA free and loaded with many health benefits. Unlike plastic which will finally end up in landfills, copper continues to be of use and can be repurposed in the long-term. Even clay bottles, while providing all the health benefits, can be returned to the earth or remodelled, if broken or no longer usable. Switch up those bottled, chemical-heavy shampoos for eco-friendly, organic shampoo bars that come in recycled brown paper packaging. Each shampoo bar lasts about 30 washes, and you can be safe from exposure to parabens and sulfates — at the same time fighting dandruff, hairfall, leaving your hair shiny and healthy.
The choices we make for the better world will thank us with good weather, good health, and definitely with less waste. We can use products that last longer, and cause little or no potential damage to the environment. Even though some of these items are a bit more expensive than their disposable counterparts, they will save us money in the long run, providing better results and a wholesome yield. Even though it has always been a necessity, 2020 is finally the time for us to choose and use wisely, every step of the way.
