Did you know that only 7% of plastic waste has ever been recycled? Or that a dump truck full of plastic is dumped into the ocean EVERY. SINGLE. MINUTE?!
If plastics aren’t recycled, where do they go? It’s not a good picture either way the plastic crumbles…
Around 17-25% of plastics are incinerated which ends up releasing tons of toxic chemicals into the air. And the remaining waste (that’s right, more than half of every single piece of plastic ever created) still exists somewhere in our environments or in our landfills.
There, it leaches into our soils and breaks down in our waterways, disrupting wildlife and our own health in the process. In fact, it is estimated that 700 species could go extinct because of plastic pollution and subsequent habitat loss.
The biggest culprit? Microplastics. Microplastics are tiny, sometimes even microscopic, pieces of broken down plastics that find their way into animals and our bodies through the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the water we drink.
The world’s dependence on this durable, yet destructive material is causing havoc not only on the ecosystems in which it’s accumulating, but also on our own health and wellbeing.
All these reasons are why we at Plaine Products partnered with our friends at Grow Ensemble in a series to raise awareness on how plastic pollution affects us all, so that we understand the extent of this plastic problem and can collectively shift to living zero-waste and plastic-free.
Read part #1 of the series on how plastic pollution affects us everyday.
While the extent of the problem is hard to wrap the head around, it doesn’t come without solutions! The best way to combat the plastic problem is to stop it at the source.
Waste is a design flaw. In order to stop our dependence, we need new and innovative ways of doing things.
In this series, you can listen in to our Co-Founders, Lindsey McCoy & Alison Webster on Grow Ensemble’s podcast, where they discuss exactly that—new ways to reduce our plastic use.
We believe that this change starts by changing our everyday habits. Wondering how to start?
Check out our guide on how to go zero waste in the bathroom.
Once you start, you won’t be able to stop seeing all the ways to go plastic-free. Learn why the bathroom is the perfect place to begin in the video with Lindsey & Alison, below:
You’ll not only feel good about the switch, you’ll find most zero waste products to be better than their plastic alternatives! Just check out Grow Ensemble’s review of Plaine Products plastic-free hair care products. 😉
We believe that stopping plastic pollution and our reliance on the fossil fuels industry is one of the great fights of our lifetime.
It’s up to all of us to do our part, and we at Plaine Products are here to support you along the way!