As you all know, my son and I are trying to live a zero-waste lifestyle, and I'll tell you that it is not easy to eliminate the use of plastic in everyday life.
I will be proud to say that somehow we contributed to society by bringing our own shopping bags when we shop, refusing bags for few items that we bought, bringing containers when we go to the grocery, using stainless straws in drinking, and recently, we are into gardening. I must admit that we still have a long way to go because sometimes we still find it hard to refuse to buy items that use plastic packaging.
In other countries, people are already practicing zero waste. In Hong Kong, it is normal to see people pulling along a suitcase because that is where they put the items they bought. Should you need an extra shopping bag, you need to pay for it.
I asked my mom if in the US, people are also practicing zero-waste. My mom said that whenever they shop, they also bring their own shopping bags. If they don't bring any, extra shopping bags will not be given; they just bring all the items in the car and load it directly in the car.
I have seen a lot of discussions about the use of items made of plastic at home. Some would be easily disgusted about the sight of plastic and about the idea of using plastics.
Let's admit it: plastics have somehow helped us in our daily lives.
It helped us prevent our things from getting wet.
It helped us in storing and organizing stuff at home.
It helped us organize the food in our refrigerator and our kitchen.
It helped in preserving our food.
...and a lot more.
But, is using plastic really evil?
No, they're not evil.
What makes it evil is how we use them.
What makes it evil is how we carelessly throw them everywhere.
What makes it evil is how we do impulsive buying of unnecessary stuff.
What makes it evil is how we always think of our own convenience and not thinking about its long-term effects.
I am more on the responsible use of plastic and proper disposal. I would say it's really hard to be plastic-free but I am trying my best to limit the use of plastic items, and if I use plastic, I make sure to use it until the end of its life (e.g. broken, torn).
For me, there is no need for an abrupt 180-degree change in our preferences. We can maximize the use of plastic tumblers and containers that we have at home until it breaks down and change using a more sustainable material like metal and glass.
Don't worry, I will not judge you for if you continue to use single-use straws or not bringing your own tumblers and containers in buying food. I believe that one day, you will also do some action in preserving Mother Earth and making it a better place to live.
I do hope that after reading my blog, you will pause and take time to think about how plastics affect you in your daily lives. However, I still encourage you to minimize the use of plastic especially the single-use type, because this kind of plastic is not recyclable. This only adds up to the waste that affects other living things like plants and animals.
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