Reducing plastic waste: 4 tips with a big impact

In the last 50 years, plastic production has increased twenty-fold. If we do nothing and continue in this way, by 2050 there will be more plastic than fish in our oceans. Reducing plastic consumption is therefore of great importance for the prosperity of our planet, but how do you do it? We would like to inspire you with four small adjustments that do have a big impact.

What is the effect of plastic on the environment?

Plastic can take up to 500 years to compost. It has a major polluting effect on land, water, air and nature. Greenpeace claims that a "truckload of plastic enters our oceans every minute, damaging marine life and our ecosystems." Plastic waste not only harms organisms, animals and fish, but also our economy.
The fishing industry and tourism all suffer from plastic pollution of the oceans. And the impact goes even further than that: Our water sources are becoming polluted with plastic.

What can we do to stop this?

Reducing your consumption of plastic is already a big step. With these small adjustments, you can already prevent a lot of plastic:

Recycle

Most households do it already: recycling. Throw away plastic that you no longer use in a plastic bin or waste bag. For everything you throw away, ask yourself if it can be recycled. Not sure what should or should not go in the plastic waste bag? Check with Milieu Centraal's waste separation guide.

Reducing plastic consumption with reusable bottles

A very simple change that has a great effect is to use reusable water bottles. How often do you drink a water bottle and then throw it away? Or how often do you use a coffee mug that you then throw away? By using reusable water bottles and coffee mugs, you save a lot of plastic waste.

Avoid plastic when shopping

Disposable plastic is the most polluting type of plastic. After you have used it once, you throw it away immediately. This is not only true for water bottles and coffee cups, as we mentioned above, but also for grocery packaging. Next time, buy local vegetables without plastic packaging and use your own shopping bag. Do you regularly forget to bring a bag? Always leave one in your bag or in the boot of your car, so it's quickly at hand.

Go for plastic-free alternatives

Look around your bathroom. How many plastic containers do you see there? You probably have a plastic shampoo bottle, shower gel and toothbrush. There are more sustainable, plastic-free products for this. A bamboo toothbrush, a shampoo bar and a bar of soap can all help reduce plastic consumption.

What else can we do?

Lowering your carbon footprint and reducing plastic consumption are a few steps, but there is more to do. Learn how you can contribute to a sustainable future by reading about our mission.