60 million plastic bags are thrown away every day - about 22 billion each year in the USA alone 31 million tons of plastic waste were generated in 2010. Only 8% of the total plastic waste generated in 2012 was recovered for recycling. Americans alone use 2.5 million plastic bottles every hour and most of them are thrown away. Plastic bottles take 700 years to begin composting. The plastic industry is big business, so how can taking a no-plastic pledge possibly make any difference? While it is true that you can't control the production or use of many plastic products, you CAN easily refuse to use these 3 things: Plastic bags Plastic bottles Plastic straws These are the most common items responsible for choking the life out of our precious oceans and wildlife. And since we are interconnected, what happens to the ecosystem affects us all. Take the no-plastic pledge and do this instead: Replace plastic bags with environmentally friendly bags such as cloth or even a recycled plastic one to use repeatedly. Replace plastic water bottles with reusable ones like stainless steel. Stop buying bottled water and buy a filtering system for your tap. Not only will this save the environment, it will save you money, and the water from home filtered devices has been proven to be more pure. Replace plastic straws with bio-degradable or glass straws. Even better ~ just sip instead of suck.
