Like many things
complex in life, plastics and particularly single use plastics are a tough nut
to crack in firstly how to single them out via a rationale acceptable to
majority and then through identifying which ones to easily discard via an easy
alternative. The second problem can be solved in a much easier way for an
individual and remembered after a one time dossier!
The first one is
more complex where while experts are still putting their heads together on the
definition, I came up with a three point identification tool to alter my lay of
the land and challenge the status quo in this area of my life.
Wish this is the
bucket list of methods I remember by heart and accomplish the outcome to the
hilt in 45 days!
- Discard
minimum utility and maximum impact plastic items.
- Despise
plastics which are the most commonly released items into the environment.
- Chuck out
plastic items which have an alternative.
Almost all of my
friends in the curated social circle I frequent are aware of the viral video of
a sea turtle with a plastic straw stuffed in its nose. It’s one of the first
images which come to my mind when it comes to straw and it also perfectly fits
the three markers above. As I write this, I have got my first wood stirrer
during my flight to Delhi and as soon as I land I am going to order my first
pack of steel straws and wood stirrers from Amazon. Cut to a new beginning and
hoping to fulfill my resolve with the first single use plastic being singled
out. Off they will go into my and each one of my family member’s bags!
A top of the mind
recall but easily passing in a very uncanny way right through our noses is the
humble plastic carry bag. The second criteria is the one I am most concerned
w.r.t this category. Though it plays a very important part in our daily lives
but it loses its meaning easily when compared with the 1000 odd years it takes
just to decompose let alone the harming potential it carries along its way
during after-life. I am going a step further with this and stashing all my
carry bags to the startup which I know is helping achieve our lost glory of
sustainable living. No more carry bags for my weekly grocery shopping and out
from the closet is the food old Jute bag which still is a favorite with my
father.
Not intending to
go over-board with my resolve but plastic bottle will be replaced by a steel bottle.
I have already started using only one plastic bottle and one plastic spoon at
the weddings and social gatherings. In future, I will carry my own container
for all the DIY uses outside of my home and of course replacing my plastic
throwaway cutlery with the spoon, small plate, a knife and a fork all made of
steel.
Living with
practically less plastic and in my journey towards more and more reductions and
alternatives wherever possible, I hope I live up to expectations I have set for
myself. It’s a tough transition when everything is virtually all plastic and
the invasion in our lives has already been done. It’s the reward of
satisfaction both for myself and my planet that has made me come this far. As a
personal commitment, I will reduce 50% of my personal plastic footprint in the
first year and by second year; I will strive to remove 100% plastics out of my
life.
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