Change Towards Eco Friendly Practices

We all know that there are eco-friendly alternatives to every non-eco-friendly thing ever. But, it can be hard to keep up with the non-eco-friendly product launches of every brand on earth. To make things easy for you, we have subcategorized the eco-unfriendliness of various products based on their carbon footprint and suggested eco-friendly alternatives for each one of them.

Plastic waste is a major problem on our planet today. According to reports published by UNEP (United Nations Environment Program), more than 8 million tones of plastic waste is generated around the world annually. And only 9% of this plastic waste gets recycled. The rest of the 91% accumulates in landfills, oceans and anywhere else they get dumped at.

Well, eco-friendly recycling is good but we can also opt for not producing the same amount of waste in the first place is even better right? So, rubbish that accumulated because you used eco-unfriendly products - here are eco-friendly substitutes for each one of them -
1. Plastic drinking straws

Alternatives: Eco Straws, hemp drinking straws, bamboo drinking straws. Polypropylene (PP) plastic drinking straws can be replaced completely with eco-friendly alternatives like eco straws made from recycled paper and bamboo/hemp drinking straws which can biodegrade within 40 days after its exposure to the sun.

2. Plastic Bags and Boxes 

Alternatives: Cloth bags, eco-bags, eco totes. Plastic shopping bags are an eco-unfriendly product because they take thousands of years to break down into nontoxic substances. So eco-friendly substitutes and carbon neutral shipping options can really save the planet. We can opt for options like eco totes made from recycled fabric which can decompose within 10 years if exposed to sunlight should be preferred over plastic shopping bags. And even better would be cloth bags which can biodegrade completely in just about 60 days after being exposed to sun and air.

3. Disposable razors 

Alternatives: Razor with a replaceable blade, safety razor, eco-razor. This one's a no-brainer. Non-disposable razors are eco-unfriendly because they create a lot of plastic waste, eco-friendly substitutes are eco-razors with replaceable blades. 

4. Plastic cups

Alternatives: Ceramic cups, eco-mug. The eco alternatives to disposable coffee cups are eco mugs made from recycled ceramic or reusable ceramic cups.

5. Plastic utensils

Alternatives: Wooden spoons, eco-spoon, eco chopsticks, eco knife, and fork. Plastic chopsticks and forks are eco-unfriendly because they cause a lot of plastic waste and eco-friendly alternatives like eco spoons made from recycled wood or eco knives and forks made from single-use bamboo plant fibers can be used in their place.

6. Plastic coffee pods

Alternatives: Coffee beans in reusable airtight containers. Disposable coffee pods are an eco-unfriendly product category so an eco-alternative for them would be to use freshly ground coffee beans in airtight refillable metal or ceramic containers instead of pre-packed disposable pods. 

Let's take a pledge to make this a better and healthy planet with sustainable steps and habits. Share with your loved ones, for a better and greener world.