How to Use Less Plastic: 7 Ways to Reduce Plastic Waste

It will take enormous structural changes to meaningfully reduce the amount of global plastic pollution, but to use less plastic in your daily life, follow the below tips.

1. 1. Use reusable bottles and cups. To reduce your personal plastic consumption and eliminate plastic water bottles and cups, commit to using your own reusable bottle and travel coffee mug. If your first instinct is to go out and buy a brand new refillable bottle, though, know that it can take a couple hundred uses to pay off the environmental impact of producing a single new bottle. This means the best reusable bottle or cup is one you already own.
2. 2. Avoid using plastic straws. Plastic straws are non-biodegradable and a huge source of microplastic pollution. Some U.S. states have already banned the use of plastic straws in food establishments, but in most places, it's up to consumers to make the choice for themselves. If it’s possible for you, skip using straws completely, but when you need one, consider opting for a paper straw or a reusable stainless-steel metal straw.
3. 3. Bring your own bags for grocery shopping. Disposable plastic grocery bags are not accepted in most curbside recycling bins and can take up to 500 years to fully decompose, so it’s best to bring your own reusable bags to the grocery store (or better yet, the farmers market). If you bag fresh fruit or purchase nuts and grains from bulk bins, a great alternative to disposable plastic produce bags is mesh reusable produce bags. You can bring reusable shopping bags with you whenever you shop at the drugstore, hardware store, clothing stores, or anywhere that might give you a plastic bag.
4. 4. Switch to bar soap and boxed laundry detergent. A simple way to use less plastic is to stop using liquid pump soaps and instead use bar soap. Single-use liquid pump soaps are especially wasteful, but even if you use a reusable soap pump, you still have to purchase a plastic bottle of liquid soap to fill up your pump. Using bar soap eliminates plastic, since it is usually wrapped in paper or cardboard and is easier to recycle. Similarly, purchasing powdered laundry detergent that comes in a cardboard box is an effective way to cut back on the amount of plastic packaging you use in your everyday life. Look for other plastic-free cleaning products.
5. 5. Bring reusable cutlery and containers for take-out food. Restaurants that offer take-out typically package food in single-use plastic containers and provide plastic utensils. You can reduce plastic waste by skipping out on the plastic silverware in favor of your own reusable cutlery. Keep lightweight bamboo cutlery in your handbag, backpack, or car, so you have it when you need it. To avoid using the plastic or styrofoam containers that restaurants typically use for to-go food, you can even request they put your food in your own container you bring with you.
6. 6. Use non-plastic reusable containers for food storage. Next time you need a new receptacle to store food at home (like flour, pasta, grains, etc.), ditch plastic containers in favor of metal or glass containers. Even better than purchasing new empty containers is to look for food at the grocery store that comes in glass jars so you can clean and reuse the jars once you eat the food. It's also easier than you think to stop using disposable plastic wrap and plastic bags to store food. Instead try using beeswax wrap, which is recyclable and biodegradable, or reusable silicone food storage bags. You can also replace standard plastic trash bags with compostable trash bags.
7. 7. Shop at second-hand stores. Most new items come in plastic packaging, but pre-owned items are already taken out of their original plastic. Additionally, when you buy second-hand plastic items, you are helping reduce the demand for plastic. When you shop at thrift stores or buy used items, you contribute less plastic waste than when you buy new items.

Get the MasterClass Annual Membership for exclusive access to video lessons taught by science luminaries, including Jane Goodall, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Chris Hadfield, and more.