Plastic Detox

Goodmorning gardeners, 

As this season continues we must be thinking about sustainability and our usage of waste. When starting a garden we tend to use a lot of plastic from packaging and tools we gather along the way; yet, sometimes we don’t fully understand the outcomes of these harmful plastics. 

Around 10 trillion tons of plastic is dumped into the ocean every year, invading the homes of wildlife. With this progression we are expected to cause severe habitat degradation and a massive surge of microplastics entering the food chain.  With that being said, we need change.

It may seem like one person doesn't have an impact in this mission but that is 8 billion people with the same mindset. Change can be simple and progressive but it is required to continue life on earth. 

One of the ways individuals can contribute to change is with a plastic detox. It is simple. Reduce the amount of plastic usage and your plastic intake will decrease as well. Starting off with small changes such as ditching plastic cups, cutting boards and utensils is a great step along with reusing glass jars for food storage and using stainless steel or cast iron pans instead of coated pots and pans. 

Some more ways to reduce plastic usage is to swap hygiene products that come in/use excessive amounts of plastic to more sustainable options such as shampoo bars or local refill stations. 

Although it is difficult to give up the plastic products we use in our daily lives, it is contributing to making our world a cleaner and more enjoyable place for all! 

If you still find yourself using plastic; creating “eco bricks” are a great way to conserve the amount of plastics getting released into the ocean. These are essentially bricks of non-recycable plastic compressed into a plastic bottle that will be further used. Begin by grabbing a plastic bottle of any size, then, clean and dry the plastic and shove it into the bottle. Cleaning and drying the plastic is very important, otherwise methane gas can build up and cause the bottle to explode. To max out the usage of your bottle, using a stick to push down and compress the plastic is a good tool to help your filling!  Finally, when your brick is all completed you can donate it to a local drop off station or trading groups so they can be turned into something useful.  

As always we love to see your creations (specially if they are helping the planet). If you decide to share your eco bricks or plastic reduction please tag us on Facebook or Instagram (@consumptionliteracyproject) and follow our new tiktok page @clp7121.

Thanks for reading, happy growing!