It is a critical period for our planet and with the global heating to have reached 1.5C according to Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and it shouldn't exceed or reach 2C.
We may have already noticed the weather conditions, melting of the ice, animals suffering, floods and temperatures reaching 35C in UK something very unusual.
We may think it is not our fault but actually all of us need to take action by changing some of our habits. You can view some other at WWF.
Plastic waste is one of many types of waste that take too long to decompose. It can take up to 1000 years to decompose in the landfills, therefore I am going to show you what I am doing so far to reduce plastic waste and what I am planning on reducing soon in my daily life.
I added first the easy ones for me and with the way that I started reducing plastic.
Shopping bags (I first started using them for carry my shopping while I was living in Germany, apparently they are more organised than in UK and it felt like paradise. Shopping bags for either heavy weight shopping, or tote bags are ideal for this.)
Bottle for water (I am using my own bottle for 2 years at least, as I used to refill plastic bottles from time to time or have my own glass at home or work for refill. Recently replaced my plastic one with glass)
Coffee pot (I rarely buy coffee from outside but at work we have a nice coffee shop so i bring my own cup if I don't make my own coffee one day. To be honest few times I have had coffee to go without bringing my own cup but I don't think is bad if it happens a couple of times.)
Lunch box and spoon (having your own lunch saves you money and prevents you from consuming more packaging)
Bamboo toothpaste (I have been using for the last 7 months and it works as good as the ordinary plastic ones.)
Straw (By leaving in UK I don't need to buy a lot of cold drinks as it is always colder than when I used to live in Greece but sometimes when I buy a drink, I missed to warn the bar - man not to use straw on my gin and tonic.)
Hand soap (for hands I managed to reduce the ordinary soap which is being sold with plastic box with the bar soap. It actually lasts much longer. Friends often buy me some local bar soaps from their trips and I have quite few to try.)
Ear puds (some people clean their ears while taking a shower but I am not from these people so I am using bamboo puds for the last 2 months and I am really happy. They also come in plastic free packaging.)
Reusable pads (I recently bought these ones but haven't tried them yet as I don't wear a lot of make up but I am curious to see how they work with nail remover.)
Dish wash sponge (I am not going to buy any more plastic dish wash sponge and I am planning to use wooden dish sponge which I purchased from Sostrene Grene and these one from The Zero Waste Maker that I bought as a gift to a friend last year.)
Food storage bags (by using food storage boxes or purchasing food reusable bags, you can reduce the use of foil and invisible foil. By reading the instructions some of them are able to be used in microwave. They are ideal for toast, fruits, cooked food.)
Other things you can reduce are reusable handkerchiefs, be careful of how you wash your clothes. They don't need that regular washing - apart from gym clothes or during the summer. If you do that you can prolong the life of your clothes and don't need to buy more.
Eco - cleaning soap for dishes and toilet is something that you can find in supermarket and I am planning to buy once the products that I have run out.
Other
Receipts (Although I barely ask for a receipt sometimes I ask electronic ones if possible, I noticed that most businesses print them anyway. I feel sorry for that but I can't really do something about that.)
Reduce plastic wrapping (this is ideal for Christmas presents or for any other festive occasion. I have previously suggested this)
If you have reduce your plastic for long time now, you can shop by bringing your own cups and weight what you buy. You can buy vegetables from farmer's shops or other items that you might can't find there. You can also buy from Zero Waste Shops.
Recycle clothes that you can't donate.
Reduce car journeys if possible use the bus or walk.
* Something for girls.
Although I still use tampons and period pads I would suggest organic ones or made out of bamboo which are easy to be found in local stores.
At the end even if you manage to stick with 5 of the above I think is a good start to start having healthy habits.