Single use plastic abounds in our homes because it is cheaply available, and quite convenient. But it ultimately lands up in our oceans and landfills, impacting biodiversity in its wake. We list 10 ways to protect the environment using simple means:

#1 Reduce or eliminate all single use plastic in the home.

Take a look around your home – you will find PET bottles, garbage bags, disposable food containers, plates and cutlery, toilet roll packs, and myriad other plastic items. By eliminating its use, you can make a significant reduction in your home’s carbon footprint and in the long run, help in preserving habitats and ecosystems.

#2 Avoid using makeup made of micro-plastic.

A lot of makeup products and even the packaging they come in comprise micro-plastic. It takes about 500 years for the plastic to degrade, which means it outlives most of the human race at any given point in time. Avoid using makeup that uses plastic or animal parts/oil as an ingredient, and buy wood makeup applicators or brushes.

#3 Look for biodegradable alternatives to plastic bottles and cans.

PET bottles and plastic jars are harmful for the environment and humans. Some of them gradually release toxic compounds that you might ingest. You can invest in glass or metal containers, bottles, lunch boxes and food storage containers for the home.

#4 Take a cloth shopping bag to carry groceries home.

Grocery stores tally up your purchases and hand them over in a plastic bag – convenient, but bad for the environment. A simple way to protect the environment from single use plastic bags, is to carry your own cloth bag to the grocery store, and have them bag up your buys in it.

#5 Recycle and upcycle whenever you can.

There are a number of plastic recycling points in the city and you can take plastic items there for recycling. This simple way protects the environment and rids the planet of some of the plastic that would have ended up in the oceans. Be sure to throw items in the designated slots only.

#6 Buy fewer packaged foods.

Buying food fresh and in bulk is good for your wallet and also the environment, as opposed to buying packaged food that generates a lot of single use plastic waste. Strike a deal with your grocer for fresh food items in bulk, and ditch plastic packaging pronto.

#7 Say no to straws.

Coffee to go, a glass of juice or smoothie at the local bar…they normally come with a plastic straw. Ask the server not to give you a plastic straw, and carry your own metal one.

#8 Embrace ‘circularity’

A buzzword among the environmentally conscious, a circular lifestyle emphasises reusing products and materials instead of throwing them away. In everyday life, this translates to using marine life-friendly reusable tea and coffee mugs, reusable menstrual and baby nappies, bar shampoos made of plant ingredients and packaged in metal containers, bamboo toothbrushes with natural fibre bristles, and so on. A circular lifestyle generates considerably less greenhouse gases and helps to preserve habitats and ecosystems in the long run.

#9 Quit smoking.

Have you been trying to quit smoking? This is your chance – the plastic filaments and other toxic compounds in cigarettes are as damaging to the environment as they are to your health.

#10 Clean up the nearest park or ocean.

On your day off, roll up your sleeves and start picking up all the plastic waste you can find in the nearest public park or ocean. You can also join local clean-up movements or initiate one of your own with likeminded individuals.