Where Plastic Sneaks Into Daily Life

Deplastify - Verb: To remove plastic from the environment 

In PART 1 we talked about the pervasiveness of microplastics in our bodies and environment. Once you start noticing plastic in daily life, it’s easy to see just how widespread it really is. 

It’s not our fault. We’ve been sold convenience our whole lives... and when concerns about plastic’s impact finally began to surface, the plastic industry positioned recycling as the solution that would put our minds at ease.

The reality is more complicated. To date, less than 10% of all plastic ever made has been recycled, around 14% has been incinerated, and the remaining 76% ends up in landfills, dumps, or the natural environment. This is because most plastic products are not designed to be reused or recycled. Only around 1% has been recycled more than once. Regardless, plastic isn’t infinitely recyclable, anyway. It’s downcycled into lower quality plastic. It still degrades, sheds, and contributes to our growing microplastic problem, and ultimately must be discarded. 

And despite valiant efforts, global agreement on a legally binding Global Plastics Treaty to end plastic pollution has not yet being reached. 

Most of us don’t actively choose plastic. It chooses us. Everywhere we look, the options include plastic. It isn’t just bottles and bags. It sneaks into our daily lives in ways we barely notice - until we start paying attention...

In the bathroom our daily routines = repeated plastic exposure from the likes of toothpaste tubes and brushes, hair care bottles, disposable razors, makeup packaging and personal care items.

In the kitchen there are higher concerns, because we have food + heat + plastic; in the form of “microwave-proof” containers, cling wrap & zip lock sandwich bags, takeaway containers, dish sponges and scrubbers and even tea bags! 

Out and about that convenience traps us with coffee cups & lids, bottled drinks, straws & cutlery and all those plastic snack wrappers. In fact, our highest use of single-use plastic is usually while we’re on-the-go.

While shopping it comes in the form of packaging, produce stickers, "recyclable” packaging that isn’t recycled, plastic-lined paper packaging, plastic wrapped in plastic. It’s no surprise when you consider this: more than 40% of all plastic produced is used for packaging.

Hidden plastic in our homes isn’t just packaging. We can find it in our clothes, in our cleaning cloths & wipes and many other synthetic fabrics that shed microplastics.

We didn’t design the system, and perhaps it can seem so overwhelming at times we feel frozen to do anything at all! But awareness comes before change, and you don’t have to fix everything all at once. 

The good news is, once you notice where plastic sneaks in, you can choose where it stops. Easily. One change at a time. 

So, this week, just notice... Pick one area - the bathroom, kitchen or car - and pay attention to what you use once and throw away. And next time, we’ll look at the easiest plastic swaps to start with - the ones that make the biggest difference with the least effort. 

Remember, deplastifying your life is about progress over perfection. Stick with us, and we’ll guide you through the plastic maze. 

What’s Next: The Easiest Plastic Swaps That Matter Most

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All Reusable Planet articles written by Rachel or our Guest Bloggers are written by a real humans and carefully reseatched. Our goal is to inform, educate and empower people to reduce waste and unnecessary plastic in every day life.  

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