Families around the globe join war on plastic

Wilbur Brandy, a family member of the Massachusetts family, says, "We try to reduce our footprint. We all use stainless steel water bottles and bring our own coffee mugs, etc. I try to avoid single use plastics such as straws, cups and bottles, but I'm not always successful." "When shopping, I do try to buy products with minimal packaging, but that's challenging too, everything is packaged!" she added. "I think plastics are increasing, especially the plastics that cannot be recycled like wrappers, products wrapped in plastic wrap, snack bags, etc - all for the convenience factor. We're aware and try our best to reduce our use of plastics but it's hard.

Elena Vilabrille says, "We try to buy less but better - as much second hand as possible, reusing, and finally recycling. Mostly plastic and paper, but also fabrics, clothes and objects in general.” "But we really miss more institutional information about it. We have to make more effort when consuming but it won't be as effective if we don't know how to do it properly."

Audrey Gan says, "We started being more aware of the waste generated by our household when it was highlighted to us in our Buddhist teachings...that all this plastic waste is harming other beings on earth". "We try to curb our desire to shop for new and unnecessary items. If we are really craving for a drink of bubble tea, we bring our own containers to avoid the plastic cup and straw they come in. I use a cloth diaper for Kyler once he reaches home, but we use at least one disposable a day because we haven't figured out how to avoid leaks with cloth diapers overnight."

Roshani Shrestha says, "I give back the plastic bags that I have to the vegetable vendors so that they can reuse them rather than using a new one," said Roshani. "We would use alternatives to plastic since it helps the environment but it is not possible since most of the products come either in plastic wrap or some other forms of plastic," she said, "We donÕt use single-use plastics like cups, plates, spoon or forks."

Tatiana Schnittke "I think the most important aspect in this matter is to buy the minimum amount of stuff. I try, but it's hard, because we live in a capitalist world. We buy a lot of second-hand stuff, but when you go to the mall or the supermarket, a lot of things are from plastic. Everything comes with plastic," said Yaniv.

"We try to lower our carbon footprint as much as possible. We are pretty much aware of the impact plastic has on our environment," said Alexander. "If alternatives to plastic are available, we are using them instead."

"We recycle what we can, and try to minimise waste generally, including food which is composted," said Karen. "Even the plastic that is recycled will ultimately have an impact. Discarded plastic does not decompose and presents a serious and irreversible long-term threat to the health of our planet, and more immediately to animals which should enjoy pristine habitats," she added. "Alternatives do already exist in many cases, but it seems are simply not widely offered because plastic offers cheap convenience. Manufacturers, retailers and governments need to do more to drive the necessary decline in use of plastic."

"We try to avoid certain purchases, mainly food, in plastic bags or plastic trays. We recycle as much as possible not only plastic but also paper or organic trash," said Laura. "We try to the best of our ability to minimise our impact on the environment to leave a better world for future generations."

"We separate plastics, glasses, paper, cardboard, waste oils and organic wastes," said Vicente Compas. "Our use of plastic decreases every day, we are more aware of the care of the planet, our home."

"I think there's no escaping plastic waste. I see it on the streets, in the mountains, underwater. It's literally everywhere," Eri said. "In our family, we try to reduce our carbon footprint wherever we can. We're very conscious of the impacts our choices can have on the environment. First, we try to reduce consumption of plastics. This mentality is applied to daily groceries, clothing, and many other products. When we have to consume, we try to keep it minimal. Recycling is generally the last option for us, and definitely not the first," she added. "Instead of the disposable plastic bottles, we've switched to reusable bottles. We've also gone to shampoo bars instead of bottled shampoo. Our toothbrush is made from bamboo and we use reusable shopping bags whenever we can."