Plastic pollution has increased tremendously. From the placenta of the baby in the womb to the deepest pit in the world, we find plastic almost everywhere. There are islands of plastics in the world. According to the researches, we consume as much plastic as a credit card a week. Plastic dispersed into the environment from the clothes we wear and the products we use has become involved in our food chain and even the air we breathe.
What is most interesting fact about the plastic pollution is that almost half of the plastic waste consists of packaging that we usually use for 10-15 minutes and throw away. Therefore, it is especially important that we remove these single-use plastics from our lives as much as possible. In fact, we can minimize our plastic consumption on vacation in a few simple ways:
1)Traveling with a bag containing a water bottle, a cloth bag and a storage container
500 billion plastic bags are used each year, with an average product use time of just 15 minutes across the world.. Ayrıca Globally, 481.6 billion plastic bottles are used each year. The number of plastic bottles purchased in the world per minute is 1 million.. If we carry a bag with them while we travel, we can avoid most of the plastic waste outside.
2) Eating ice cream in a cone, not a bowl
By eating the ice cream in a cone instead of a bowl, we will not create a waste that will be used for 10 minutes and remain in nature for centuries. In addition, if we buy from ice cream shops instead of plastic packaged ice creams, we will make a healthier choice.
3) Bringing your own soap instead of disposable hotel shampoos
We can prevent this plastic waste by bringing our own soap instead of the small plastic shampoo bottles placed in hotel rooms. We can buy our own shampoo by supporting local producers and buy natural products from them, handmade and without plastic packaging.
4) Dine in instead of take out
A lot of plastic waste comes out when taking packaged food from outside. Styrofoam foam and other plastic packaging in which the food is placed are both non-recyclable and poses a threat to our health. Therefore, going to the restaurant instead of ordering is a healthier and waste-free option.
5) Reject using the plastic straw
Plastic straws (apart from some medical uses) are one of the most useless plastic items. Always specify that you do not want a straw when drinking outside, because unfortunately the majority of businesses do not have such sensitivity and serve everyone with straws even if there is no need.
6) Washing hands instead of using wet wipes
If you prefer to wash your hands with soap and water instead of using wet wipes while eating out, you will be doing a good thing for yourself and the environment. Wet wipes are not recyclable due to their structure and remains in landfills for centuries, it is also harmful to health due to the chemicals it contains.
7) Demanding a ban on single-use plastics
To ban single-use plastics in Turkey, you can sign the campaign launched by Greenpeace. While a total ban on single-use plastics may sound impossible at first, banned in the European Union. Among the banned products, there are plastics that have alternatives such as plastic straws, forks, plates and spoons and cause unnecessary pollution. Turkey also needs to take this step and it is our responsibility to demand it.
Duru Barbak
