By Mehak Koul
As global warming continues to get worse and worse as days pass by, it is more important than ever that we think about our future and go with eco-friendly options instead of the regular wasteful items. Luckily approximately 68 percent of millennials are regularly buying eco friendly products while picking up the slack of the older generations. Everyone wants to do their part in saving the environment, but also don't want to sacrifice the functionality of these items.
Now the question arises, how do I do my part and what alternatives to use which aren't as harmful for the environment ? Here are 5 ways to beat the plastic and go for eco-friendly alternatives instead !
Avoid using plastic bottle
At least 8 million tons of plastic end up in our oceans every year being of the biggest threats to our oceans, more than 90 percent of plastic bottles end up being thrown away in landfills every year. Using reusable water bottles can be your way of helping save the planet and investing in reusable water bottles may help the environment in all the ways plastic water bottles harm it.
Sanitary Napkins
Menstruation has remained a taboo for public conversation for a very long time now, hence till date some women lack awareness about menstrual hygiene and proper disposal of these sanitary pads. 121 million women in India use sanitary pads according to a study by the WaterAid India and Menstrual Hygiene Alliance India. Researches say that one single pad is equivalent to 4 plastic bags and can take up to 500 years to decompose. So what is the next safer way to go ? Well ladies it's time to switch to menstrual cups which are environment friendly, cost efficient and can get you through the day without changing !
Cloth grocery bags
Trillions of plastic bags are used every year, everyone is aware of the toxicity of these single use plastic bags but it's high time we do something about it. Break this habit and bring your own shopping bags for your groceries. Tote bags are in fashion so stay fashionable while saving the environment and use tote bags for your groceries instead!
Fabric Napkins
It is inevitable that you will spill something at some point in life, rather than going through an entire roll of paper napkins it will be far better to go for a fabric napkin which not only works better in the long run but also is much better for the environment. Research suggests that, as long as one washes their napkins regularly, there is no difference in which one is healthier to use. As for the environment, you’re already helping the planet if you reuse a resource over a longer period of time.
Toothbrushes
Nearly every single item made out of plastic that we have used in our lives still exists somewhere, even our toothbrush. Toothbrushes remain in landfills indefinitely and stain the landfills with their presence! As they settle into the landfill, they release chemicals into the air and take more than 400 years to decompose. Mostly made up of synthetic materials, toothbrushes have become the new culprit in the global pollution problems. Nowadays a lot of manufactures produce bamboo handle toothbrushes and bristles made of castor seed oil, they can last as long as the plastic toothbrushes and are the much safer option to go for.
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