1.3 billion water bottles are used every day. That’s 40 billion per month and 481.6 billion per year. With only 12% of these bottles being recycled (the number is continuously declining) over 423.8 billion water bottles are not recycled every year.
These end up in landfills, oceans, lakes, the side of the road and in crop beds. Plastic is not a compostable material, though it “dissolves” it does not biodegrade. It will shred itself little by little, taking over 400 years for it to be considered “degraded”. At that point it will have created billions of pieces of micro-plastics that end up in the food we eat (sea food) and the water we drink. It will be in the ground we fertilize and the paths we beat our feet upon. It is not good news for anyone, anything.
You can do something about it, however. Since over 481.6 billion plastic bottles are used in a single year, this can equate to the average person using around 1,460 bottles per year (this accounts for various types of plastic bottles - not just drinking bottles).
Say you and your group of friends at school took a pledge for the new year. All ten of you decide that you’re quitting single use plastic bottles. Alone, the difference between you and your friends quitting this convenience could save around 14,600 plastic bottles from polluting the earth. That still may not seem like a lot to you. Perhaps you were able to help pass a sort of legislation in your school that bans the school district from putting plastic bottles into the school's vending machines. There is an average of 840 students in a single high school. You just saved the earth 1,226,400 plastic bottles from being used.
This is the argument: “Me not using plastic isn’t going to stop plastic from being made. It won’t make a difference.”
A company's supply and demand works as follows → A product is produced, in this instance it is a plastic bottle containing soda. It’s priced at $2.00. When you boycott an item the demand reduces, therefore the price is reduced. Now the soda is going for $1.75. Then, $1.00. Soon, there will be no profit in the company's foreseeable future. They need to do something to change their product or they need to ditch it all together. This could entice the company to change to glass packaging or create a more environmentally friendly campaign for itself. As demand falls, supply falls, the company falls, and the company ultimately must change. Boycotting plastic bottles can make a difference if you and your peers can find the worthiness of the difference.
Be conscious of your habits. Help in protecting our Mother Earth.
Hydro Flask
Rubbermaid
Brita Filter Bottle (If you're in a high risk water pollution area)
Contigo Autospout (My personal favorite and ultimate recommendation. I have been using this thing continuously for the past 3 years!)
With love from Sunny San Diego,
VIRON
DISCLAIMER: The links presented are apart of the Amazon Associates program. I will receive a portion of the proceeds when you buy a product from my links! This helps to keep our blog running! However, we will NEVER recommend a product we don't believe in.
How to shop eco-friendly on Amazon: When checking out on amazon.com there will be a recyclable "Amazon Frustration Free" packaging option. Click there! Consolidate your purchases. I.E. Do not purchase the items in your cart until you know you're done shopping for the good foreseeable future. Happy shopping!
Kommentare