Here Is What You Can Do To Reduce The Use Of Plastic 

Whether we are drinking Starbucks coffee in the morning or snacking on chips at night, wherever we look around us, we are coated in plastic. So much so that, almost 200 million tons of plastic are generated each year, half of which is one-time-use material. Which is similar to the poundage of the whole human inhabitants! The production of plastic has assisted make a huge array of products affordable, supporting our economies. Sadly, we have become very convenient with utilizing plastic particularly one-time-use plastic products which is one of the huge pollutants of the sea.

The prime effect of plastic on the climate is that it takes almost 500-1,000 years for it to deteriorate. As a result, there are extreme matters to the climate that comprises animal choking, blockage of channels, creeks, rivers, and landscape destruction. Moreover, to this, toxic chemicals are unleashed into the ground when plastic products pass under sunlight and when ignited it radiates a toxic essence into the air, which leads the air pollution.

Animals in the sea can mistake plastic for food and swallow it, which can block their digestive systems. There have been examples where several marine animals particularly threatened tortoises were found strangled because of consuming plastic products merged with seaweed. Today, around 1 million marine animals perish because of plastic items. Several fishes have been also found with microplastic parts in their guts. It impacts us as well as each year almost 70,000 microplastic are swallowed by an average individual.

One thing about plastic is that we will never be capable to stop generating it. This is fine – this has several better utilizations. But what we can accomplish is assist to turn the angle on one-time-use plastic products and evade utilizing as little as possible.

Here are some things you can do to move away from plastic – 

Reduce, reuse, and recycle – Decrease or evade utilizing plastics as much as possible, reuse, and recycle the plastic products you can. Not all plastic products are recyclable so you must be cautious in checking whether this is better to recycle or not.

Say no to plastic bags – Plastic bags in shopping malls and supermarkets is unquestionably a huge pollutant of the climate. Though you can reutilize a plastic bag for some time when this is thrown away the impacts its causes on the climate are detrimental. Rather than utilizing plastic bags, you can utilize substitutes such as Jute bags, paper bags, Newspaper recycled paper bags, Biodegradable bags, and cloth bags.

Utilize your own cup to get your coffee at coffee shops – Get your own ceramic or metal cup rather than utilizing the one-time-use plastic cups for your coffee. Several coffee brands such as Starbucks and more have branded coffee cups in which you can refill your coffee.

Bring your own containers to fill groceries – The plastic coverings in which we get most of our groceries are usually thrown after we open them. Rather, you can bring your own container from home and fill the container yourself rather than using the plastic coverings provided by the store.

Stop utilizing plastic straws – Metal straws have currently become famous as people are becoming aware and eco-friendly, and several small companies are manufacturing and selling them online. Plastic straws hardly affect the environment. We only utilize a straw once and then discard it. Rather than plastic straws, you can utilize other eco-friendly creations such as metal.

Utilize plastic-free products – People are becoming more aware of and making moves in supporting the climate. Several brands have started making plastic-free items and packaging them in eco-friendly packaging. You can smoothly hunt eco-friendly brands online.

What is the UAE doing to decrease plastic consumption? 

The Abu Dhabi government has granted a ban which began on the 1st of June 2022 for one-time-use plastic items in Abu Dhabi. This initiative would prevent the sale of one-time-use plastic bags throughout all the retailers. The government plans to apply measures to decrease demand for around 16 one-time-use plastic items, although recently it is just banning one-time-use plastic grocery bags and inspires shopkeepers and tenants to utilize eco-friendly substitutes.

On the flip side, the government of Dubai has declared that this would impose a tariff of 25 fills as one-time-use bags beginning from 1st July 2022. They plan to assess this guideline in many phases till fully banning plastic bags within the next two years.

The Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairmen of the Executive Council of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum has started ‘Dubai Can’ a stability industry.

This industry set the target to decrease one-time-use plastic water bottle waste in the emirate by –

• Motivating people to utilize refillable water bottles.
• Giving reach to safe and free drinking water by forming water stations in Dubai.
• Conduct attention on plastic options and stability matters hence making a culture of a mindful tenancy.

The ‘Dubai Can’ industry motivates communities, tenants, businesses, and travelers to make easy transformations like utilizing refillable water bottles, drinking from public water stations, and forming water filters in houses, schools, and offices, which would lead to a total reduction of one-time-use plastic water bottles.

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