Microplastics are the lead of our generation. – an insightful comment from social media.
We agree. You’ve probably heard a lot about microplastics or their cousin nanoplastics in the news. They’re showing up in more places they shouldn’t be, like breast, placenta, testicular, and even recently brain tissue – pretty much everywhere we’re testing we’re finding microplastics; it’s not necessarily new. It’s just that our imaging equipment has improved to a point where we can see them in places we hadn’t before. The reality is that we’ve been consuming them for a very long time. And this is a case where bigger might actually be better because the smaller the plastic bit, the easier it is to enter your bloodstream and organs. As we all learned from Gill in Finding Nemo, all drains lead to the ocean. Connect that with what we learned in grade school, that everything in the oceans and seas eventually recirculates into our water supply and from there eventually impacts our food supply. That’s where we’re at. Much of what we eat today is packaged in plastic, prepared with plastic, and grown in an environment filled with decades of plastic (mis)use.
There are two realities here. The first is, though you can dramatically reduce your exposure to plastics in your food and water supply, you probably can’t reduce it to zero; they’re just too pervasive. The other is that this is a global problem, and we need global regulations to address it, just like we did with lead several decades ago. Until lawmakers can come together to do what we need them to do, we all need exercise our (immense) power as consumers and vote through what we decide to purchase. Nothing pivots big corporations faster than following consumer spending patterns. (We encourage you to exercise both your civic duty and your purchasing rights.)
Refuse · Reduce · Reuse · Recycle
You probably grew up with the 3 Rs – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. A few years back, a fourth R, Refuse, was added to the beginning of the order – and for a very good reason. Most folks don’t remember that the 3 Rs were meant to be followed in their stated order, and recycling was intentionally put last. While recycling plastic is a better option than dumping it in a landfill then turning around and sourcing virgin materials, it still releases microplastics in the process. And recycling all our plastics isn’t going to save us. To really make the difference we need, we have to put the most effort behind the first 2 Rs – Refuse and Reduce – because they’re the two that decrease the amount of new plastics made in the first place, and they don’t put microplastics back into world.
We’ve compiled a list of various ways you can refuse or reduce the plastic you’re purchasing and ingesting. A couple of themes to keep in mind:
- Transition to glass, stainless steel, wood, and ceramic are methods to Refuse plastic.
- For aluminum and paper products, ensure the label says “lined with food-grade wax”; many modern versions of these containers are lined with plastic. Transitioning to these materials will Reduce your exposure to plastic but might not eliminate it altogether.
- Spend a lousy weather day in your local grocery store investigating which brands local to you are using glass, steel, paperboard, paper, etc.
- Refuse the swag at a conference or gift with purchase if it’s something you aren’t going to use. Refuse the plastic bag at check-out if you forgot to bring a reusable one when it’s only a few items you can carry.
Big and Little Ways to Reduce Your Plastic Consumption
- Use a stainless-steel reusable water bottle; stop purchasing single-use plastic bottled water. Double-walled is ideal to keep cold drinks cold and hot drinks hot.
- Eliminate plastic bag storage (like Ziploc); use glass storage (Pyrex, Anchor Hocking, CoringWare, or Mason jars) or paper sandwich bags.
- Eliminate plastic drinking cups; use glass.
- Eliminate plastic-based cooking utensils from the kitchen; use wood or stainless steel (this includes replacing silicone).
- Eliminate plastic cutting boards (except for meat); use butcher block (glass boards should only be used for presentation, not cutting).
- Eliminate tea bags (unless explicitly stated as cotton muslin); use loose-leaf tea and a tea strainer.
- Eliminate all plastic single-use coffee pods; use aluminum single-use pods, French press, or pour-over that with reusable stainless-steel filters.
- Eliminate plastic food storage containers; use glass storage (Pyrex, Anchor Hocking, CoringWare, or Mason jars).
- Replace plastic cling wrap with beeswax wrap.
- Stop purchasing pre-packaged produce; buy from the bulk section & use natural fiber mesh reusable produce bags when shopping.
- Stop purchasing pre-packaged meat and seafood; buy from the meat counter where your purchases are wrapped in paper.
- Stop purchasing pre-packaged bread; buy from the bakery department, where they use brown paper sleeves.
- Stop purchasing liquids (milk, juices, broth, etc.) in plastic containers; buy brands that use paperboard liquid boxes.
- Stop purchasing eggs in plastic cartons; buy ones that use…paper egg cartons.
- Stop using single-use shopping bags, get reusable ones, and keep a few in the car for impromptu shopping trips.
- Stop buying premade sports drinks; make your own electrolyte mix at home + reusable water bottle, or use tablets + reusable water bottle.
- Replace your plastic shower pouf with a cotton washcloth and/or a sea sponge.
- Eliminate disposable razors, use a safety razor where only the blade gets replaced.
- Replace bottled shampoo, conditioner, and shaving cream/soap – with bar-based products (bars are much improved from years ago).
- Eliminate single-use household and beauty wipes.
- Stop using microfiber rags; use natural fiber alternatives, e.g., cotton felt.
- Eliminate or minimize your consumption of plastic-based clothing materials (polyester, rayon, nylon, etc.).
- Air dry, or at most damp dry, plastic-based clothing materials to minimize microplastic pollution that’s created when dry clothing continues to tumble in a dryer.
- Utilize ceramic and terra cotta pots for container gardening.
- Utilize grow bags that use natural materials for container gardening.
- Eliminate or drastically minimize the amount of highly processed or ultra-processed food you consume (this includes almost everything in the center aisles of your grocery store). Shopping the perimeter aisle of the grocery store is generally the least processed food in a store. More processing = more microplastics.
- Grow what greens and produce you can at home. Kratky hydroponics in Mason jars is a great option if you live in an urban or suburban area with limited space.
- Buy from a local farmer’s market or CSA (community-supported agriculture) program.
- Transition from plastic bottle-based drinks to glass bottle versions. Aluminum cans would be the second option, but they may still have plastic liners.
- Buy cleaners in concentrate form (like Grove brand) that use aluminum packaging, then mix with water at home in glass spray bottles.
- Buy paper-wrapped stick butter instead of tub butter. Whip at home.
- Buy a block of cream cheese instead of a tub. Whip at home.
- Invest in a stainless-steel portable utensil set if you pack your lunch.
- Invest in stainless steel reusable straws if you or your family members like drinking from a straw.
- Use stainless steel food and water bowls for pets.
- Purchase pet toys and chews that use natural rubber.
- Use a wooden toothbrush, or if you use electric, use replacement heads made from cornstarch.
- Replace your tube of toothpaste with toothpaste tablets.
- Move from daily contact lenses to monthly or even hard contacts (hard contact technology has improved) – there’s also some research out there that certain brands of disposable contacts use PFAS, so as your eye doctor before placing your next order.
- Replace your mouthwash with mouthwash tablets.
- Transition your antiperspirant/deodorant to a brand that uses paperboard dispensers (there are several on the market).
- Buy grains, legumes, snacks, candy, spices, nuts, seeds, coffee, teas, and other dry foods from the bulk section or a local bulk grocery store (tends to be cheaper as well).
- Transition from sponges to Swedish dishcloths (melamine is a plastic).
- Purchase take-out or take-away from local businesses that don’t use Styrofoam or plastic containers. Support those who use plant-based materials with your repeat business.
- Buy frozen veggies that come boxed instead of bagged.
- Transition to skincare brands that use glass dropper bottles or paperboard.
- Add a microplastic filter to your washing machine (this is an impactful one as 35% of microplastics in the ocean come from at-home washing).
Plastics have a place in our world. They are best suited to multi-use items not exposed to the elements and not used in items where humans and animals will (eventually) ingest them. If you can’t avoid buying plastic-based products, exercise the other Rs in the consumption model by purchasing versions that use a high rate of post-consumer recycled materials. Until science can produce a method to break down plastic into non-harmful compounds (yes, they are working on that), reusing the plastic we’ve already created is key to creating a circular economy. Keep this in mind when evaluating your purchase options!
(bolded items represent the needle movers in terms of plastic reduction.)
