In the 50's when plastics started to become all the rage, and convenience was worth the price, we began to manufacture as many disposable items as we could. The issue here is the word " disposable" which makes you think that once it has been used it will go away. What a joke. Plastic does not decompose. All of the plastic that has ever been produced is still on this earth in one form or another, taking up space and wreaking havoc on our ecosystems.
In the 1950’s 2 million tons of plastic was being produced. In 2017 that number reached 8.3 million tons, and it is expected that by 2050 we will be pushing out 34 million tons of plastic per year. With less than 10% of plastic being recycled the solution is to stop producing it. The fewer of these items we buy the less they will need to be manufactured.
Here are some common items we think of as disposable, and how long they take to break down into smaller pieces of plastic, along with some easy alternatives...
Razor: 1,000 years Safety Razors (only replace the blade)
Diapers: 500 years Cloth diapers
Pads: 650 years Reusable cloth pads or silicone cups
Utensils: 1,000 years Metal utensils can leave your house!
Starbucks cup: 20 years Reusable cup
Solo cup: 450 years Glasses
Bottled water: 400 years Metal bottle
Ziploc bags: 500 years Reusable
Plastic straw: 200 years Metal straw
Toothbrush: 1,000 years Bamboo toothbrush
Battery: 100 years Rechargeable batteries
Shopping bags: 750 years Reusable bags
I think it is safe to say that the convenience of these items is no longer worth the price.