Hidden Plastics

Plastics are impacting all life on earth and it's the small "hidden" plastics that are causing the most destruction! Here are a few that you can watch out for.

As many of us have come to realize plastic is pretty much everywhere... it's in our air, water, and even our food. It’s surely a scary reality to face, but there are so many plastics that we as consumers have power over. What I call “hidden plastics” are things you may not even know existed yet are being consumed and are therefore polluting earth’s precious resources. 

Here are four hidden plastics that you should watch out for:

Coffee Cups: The disposable “cardboard” cups a lot of people assume are recyclable actually aren’t because of the plastic lining on the inside of the cup! Thousands are consumed everyday and are not only polluting our oceans, but they are also messing with our recycling systems and jamming up their equipment.

Chewing Gum: Yes, you’re reading that right! The base of most chewing gum is made of the same plastic as plastic water bottles (polyethylene). This means that although you are not eating it that is chemicals and possibly microplastics entering your body!

Foil packaging: Do you know those chip bags… like the ones from the popular UK brand Walkers? Well apparently they are actually metallised plastic bags. A lot of people, myself included, would just wash and recycle them without a care in the world but we've been doing it all wrong! Definitely remember this one when you want to get a snack in "recyclable packaging".

Sea Salt: An analysis of microplastics in sea salt showed that 90% of table salt brands around the world are contaminated with microplastics! The very seasoning almost every kitchen has is putting us at direct risk through the ingestion of plastic.

What can we do?

Firstly a lot of the actionable steps I have listed require a certain place of privilege so I advise you to take what is accessible to you and simply leave the rest:

Vote with your dollar! Use less plastic and produce less waste! The less waste we produce the less that ends up in our oceans and pollutes our waterways that all life depends on. Plus it shows these big companies that we are not investing our money in places that discounts environmental and social well being.

Make Your Own! Switch to pre-made snacks and gum! You can try making your own chips or find healthy alternatives that are simple like an apple and peanut butter.

Hold Corporations Accountable! A TON of the waste produced and entering our oceans is actually from companies up stream. By putting the burden and onus of plastic pollution on them we can get greater justice. Try writing emails, signing online petitions, and speaking to friends and family to help! 

You have so much power... so use it!