With plastic seemingly everywhere, living a plastic free life may seem an insurmountable goal. Unfortunately certain assumptions on this lifestyle can prevent people from taking steps towards making a positive change.
To help set the record straight, here are three common plastic free living misconceptions that should not hold you back:
1. All Your Old Plastic Should Be Thrown Out
This is one of the biggest assumptions preventing people from making changes. You look at all of the plastic products you use throughout the day and wonder how they can possibly be replaced.
Here’s the reality: All your plastic does not need to be replaced, simply stop buying any new plastic products.
Any plastic you throw out will end up in a landfill or otherwise harming the environment. If you keep it in your home and put it to good use it is better that it stays where it is. For plastic you no longer need, take advantage of local recycling programs.
2. You Must Go 100% Plastic Free
With plastic being an integral part of many people’s daily lives, living 100% plastic-free can be a big challenge.
Building a habit of living with less plastic is a great way to make a positive environmental impact. Creating habits puts you on the path of continuing a behavior over a long period of time and makes actions become more automatic.
Keep in mind that if you jump all in and you can’t keep it up the habit will not take hold and you will likely go back to your old habits. The best approach is to take it slow, one step at a time, and don’t feel the need to go 100% plastic free.
3. All Products Made Of Plastic Are Prohibited
There may be plastic products that you need to use, especially those tied closely to your health and well-being.
When living a plastic free lifestyle you should never put your health in jeopardy. Dealing with decisions that can impact your health should only focus on that. Exceptions can and should be made, just because the medicine you need comes in a plastic bottle does not mean you should not allow that plastic in your life. It is your health and your life, what others may think of your use of plastic should be of no concern.
Get started with the easiest items you can find substitutes for and build on that.
This approach helps you build a plastic-free mindset and habit so you won’t feel so overwhelmed.
The main thing to keep in mind when making a change to a plastic free lifestyle is to do what you can where you can, whatever works best for you. Not everyone living a plastic free lifestyle is 100% plastic free, every change you make does have an impact no matter how small it may seem.
For tips and suggestions on making the shift to a plastic-free lifestyle The Lifehacker’s Guide to Living with Less Plastic (The Ultimate Cheat Sheet to a Plastic-Free Life) will help you learn more on what it’s like to live plastic-free, how to fit plastic-free living into your budget, ways you can minimize plastic in the most important areas of your life, and much more.
