Mary Coogan highlights how saturated our lives are in plastic and shares tips for reducing the amount of plastic we use.

After my third trip to India, I pledged to myself to reduce the amount of plastic I use. A visit to Dhapa dump in Kolkata and a few too many plastic bag choked rivers had brought it into very clear focus that some plastic doesn’t go anywhere; it stays exactly where you leave it. Forever.

Just because we in Ireland may not see the plastic pollution in our day to day lives doesn’t mean that it isn’t there. When I started to look around, I realised that daily life is saturated in plastic, so much so that we don’t even notice it most of the time. Even if you are a diligent recycler like me, not all plastic is recyclable.

Here are seven simple steps that everyone can take to reduce the amount of plastic that we use in our daily lives, and reduce the amount of plastic that will still be sitting in landfill long after we have moved on to the next life.

Seven steps

Takeaway cups are lined with a plastic film that renders them unrecyclable. Why not buy a Keep Cup? That way, you can still enjoy your morning coffee but generate no additional waste in the process. There is enough plastic in 20 disposable cups and lids to make one small Keep Cup. Keep Cups are €12.50 and can be purchased in Stock, Arnotts and from various coffee shops. Some places, such as the Barista School, offer a discount when you use a Keep Cup. Think about how you drink your water. Is all of that bottled water really necessary? If your tap water has a funny taste or is of poor quality, consider buying a good water filter jug for your kitchen and a reusable water bottle for when you’re on the go. Bobble bottles filter water as you drink it and are available in similar shops to the Keep Cup. Buy a reusable shopping bag and keep it with you every day; you can buy handy fold away bags in Tiger for about €1. Leave out the small plastic bag when you’re buying loose fruit and vegetables. You’re going to be washing and/or peeling them anyway! If there is an option between buying fruit or vegetable wrapped in cellophane and ones that aren’t, opt for the no cellophane. Visit the Dublin Food Co-Op or your local farmers’ market. Not only can you buy delicious locally grown organic produce, but you will find that there is generally a lot less packaging and plastic involved when you are buying directly from producers. Curious about ways to reduce the plastic usage on your campus? Check out the plastic free campus initiative. Finally, start looking out for the plastic saturated items in your home and in your daily life; is there any way to reduce or eliminate some of them? They might be small steps but every great journey begins with a single step!

Do you have any suggestions of simple and practical ways to reduce the amount of plastic that we use? Please share!

Author: Mary Coogan

Mary is originally from Co Wicklow and holds an MSC in International Development from UCD. She previously volunteered in Ghana and South Africa. Mary worked in overseas volunteering roles with Suas and VSO before joining the Trócaire team this year.

Photo credit: Mona Sfeir’s “Recycling Labyrinth.” This large scale installation art work was composed of 8,000 plastic bottles, the same number of bottles that go into landfills worldwide every second (and takes 450 years to break each bottle down). The exhibit was installed in the beautiful gardens of the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Creative Commons license