Single-use products first gained popularity in the 1950s. The industries behind these items enticed people on the convenience of using throw-away products. Unfortunately, this convenience comes with a huge price, and we are all paying for it.
What’s the problem with single-use products, and how do we change the habit of using them?
Single-use products fill up landfills.
Single-use items are found anywhere. They are in your kitchen, bathroom, living room, and more! And when you step out of the house, they are found in shopping malls, at the gym, at restaurants–they’re everywhere!
We use them all the time, and we’re not even aware of it. Do you have a baby? You probably use wet tissue for cleaning whenever the disposable diaper needs changing.
Do you hate washing the dishes? You probably have disposable plates and utensils tucked away in your kitchen cabinet. Using single-use products has become a habit. They bring convenience by saving us time and energy.
Unfortunately, it’s a costly habit. It’s filling up our landfills fast and waste management services can no longer keep up. Once landfills are overflowing, our trash will have nowhere to go.
To change this habit, opt for reusable items instead.
Ditch the disposable tissue and go for reusable ones like LastTissue. Opt for a dishwasher instead of disposable plates and utensils. Not only are they kinder to the environment, but they are also good for your health.
Creating change might seem inconvenient at first, but you’ll get used to it. Humans are creatures of habit after all!
Single-use products take years to break down.
Many single-use products are biodegradable, but they actually take years to break down. For instance, water bottles will take 450 years to “decompose”, while plastic items made from petroleum will take 1,000 years.
And by “decompose”, we mean they just break into smaller pieces and release hazardous chemicals. Unfortunately, many single-use products are not disposed properly. You will find them both on land and in the ocean.
Not only is this polluting the planet, but it’s also killing the inhabitants. For instance, millions of marine animals mistake these trash for food. They end up eating plastic, causing them to die.
Other marine animals end up literally entangled in these trash, causing them skin infection and then death.
So, how do you change this addictive habit? Cut down on single-use plastic items. If you like drinking with a straw, you can go for those reusable straws that can be washed after every use. And if you like to stay hydrated, bring a tumbler with you instead of buying bottled waters.
Start with the little things and you’ll be living a more sustainable lifestyle!
Single-use products waste our resources.
There are resources the world relies on that cannot be replenished, called non-renewable resources. An example would be fossil fuels like natural gas, crude, and coal. Once used up, they’re all gone.
Unfortunately, we heavily depend on these resources to produce energy. And we’re not doing a great job at conserving them, especially when we use single-use products. Even waste management services contribute to this waste.
For instance, one non-renewable resource that makes up plastic bags is crude oil or petroleum. To produce about 14 plastic bags, you will need enough crude oil that allows a car to travel a mile.
Add to that the amount of petroleum used to ship the same products to different places. Now, that’s a total waste of non-renewable energy resources!
To change this habit, start opting for alternatives that don’t waste our resources.
Do you use single-use plastic bags to clean up after your pet? Go for bioplastics for poop bags instead. They are made from plants and not fossil fuels.
Are you swinging by the grocery store tomorrow? Take a reusable grocery bag with you. Feel free to take it a step further by going for recycled reusable bags.
These switches may be simple, but they go a long way.
Single-use products are a waste of money.
Apart from the convenience brought by single-use products, many companies market them as more affordable than reusable products. Hence, people who create a budget fail to consider cutting down on single-use items. Little do they know that switching from single-use to reusable ones will save them more.
In fact, many people who have made the switch are on their way to saving thousands of dollars as time passes. So, how do you change this habit? Start by looking around you.
See which single-use items you can afford to replace with reusable ones. You will pay more upfront as you make the switch, so it’s not necessary to replace everything all at once. And if it helps, look at your purchases as an investment.
Before you know it, you’ll realize where your money has been going all this time.
