Reduce your use of plastic

You may find it hard to believe but a plastic bottle takes anywhere between 100 and 1000 plus years to degrade, with an average degradation time of 450 years! 

Does this piece of information motivate you to opt for more of environment-friendly substitutes? If yes, then you are treading the right path, because it is never late to start to do our bit for the environment. 

TAKE YOUR OWN BAG

When you go shopping, be it for books, shoes, clothes or groceries, carry your own sturdy, reusable bag, preferably something made from cotton or jute. 

CARRY YOUR WATER BOTTLE

Instead of purchasing a bottle of water when you are thirsty, carry your own water in a bottle or flask made of glass or stainless steel when you leave home. 

DITCH THE STRAW

When you order your drink at a restaurant, learn to say, "No straw, please". Straws are made of plastic and therefore when thrown away are detrimental to environment. 

REUSABLE LUNCH BOX

Instead of packing lunch in single-use bags or containers, use a container that can be used over and over. Use reusable, eco-friendly boxes to carry food when you go picnic in the green. 

SAY NO TO SINGLE-USE CUTLERY

Use reusable stainless steel cutlery to eat. Plastic knives, spoons and forks only add to our waste piles and take hundreds of years to break down.   

STORAGE CONTAINERS FOR FRIDGE

To store foods in the refrigerator, opt for glass containers. Glass containers are not only easier to clean, but they are also environment-friendly and can be used year after year.  

BIGGER JARS AND TUBES

Invest in bigger tubes, jars and containers of personal care items like shampoo, toothpaste, etc. When you do this, you contribute to creating less waste because 'bigger lasts longer.'

EAT HEALTHY

Opt for fresh fruits and vegetables and try to eat home-cooked food instead of frozen food available in supermarkets. Frozen food items come in plastic bags. 

USE RAGS

To clean up your kitchen and around the house, use cloth rags. Use your and your family's old cotton garments to make cloth rags, because use of paper towels only makes more trash! 

This is our planet, the only place in the whole universe where humans know is safe for them to live and raise children. Save it, and begin right from inside your home! We repeat after our childhood superhero Captain Planet— "The power is yours!"

By Wara Karim