Reusables 101-Bags, Bottles, and Mugs

My first sustainability tip will cover the basics. My first tip is to buy reusable shopping bags, a reusable water bottle, and a reusable coffee mug (if you haven't already). These 3 items are key and just eliminating these items would make a huge positive impact if everyone did it! I already covered some of the issues with plastic pollution in my paper about the Laysan Albatross, but here are a few more facts for you:

• At least 1 million sea birds and 100,000 marine mammals are killed each year from marine plastic.
• About 80% of marine debris is land based-meaning it comes from us terrestrial humans, not from fishing vessels, cargo ships, or cruise ships (they contribute the other 20%).
• Plastic production continues to grow astronomically but recycling rates have barely increased. We have produced more plastic in the past decade than all the previous years combined. (Plastic production really got going in the 1950s.)
• Recycling rate estimates for plastic bags in the U.S. range from 5-12%.
• The triangular arrows on the bottom of your plastic container does not mean the item is necessarily recyclable. That symbol, combined with a number inside of it, is a way to code out the different plastic resin types. #1 and #2 are the most commonly and easily recycled plastics in the U.S.-most other numbers are sent overseas or to the landfill.

Plastic Bags: The average American uses 500 plastic bags each year. If one person does not receive a single bag for 70 years, they would eliminate 35,000 bags!

Water Bottles: Bottled water is a personal pet peeve of mine. The U.S. has some of the cleanest tap water in the world and the bottled water companies have done such a phenomenal marketing job that they make consumers believe we need fancy spring water contained in sterile plastic. We are being duped! Most bottled water does not come from the beautiful mountain scene displayed on the label but is simply filtered tap water. Furthermore, tap water has stricter regulations because it is regulated by the EPA while bottled water is regulated by the FDA. Some people cringe at the cost of metal water bottles (I'll write later about the health problems associated with BPA and BPA-free plastics) but it would save you money over the long run. My favorite Klean Kanteen is $29.95 but you'd never have to buy a $1+ bottle of water again! This is my favorite because it has a stainless steel lid rather than the ubiquitous plastic lid: http://www.kleankanteen.com/products/special/reflect.php
Unfortunately I can't say it's completely plastic free as there is a little rubber ring to maintain the lid seal with the bottle.

Reusable Coffee Mug: I am a daily coffee drinker so I save 365 cups per year. Oftentimes being plastic free costs a little more, but I save money by making my coffee at home (in my plastic free french press of course) and take my to-go container to work. My stainless steel mug does have a #7 plastic lid and #7 almost always contains BPA. My research thus far has not uncovered a completely plastic-free, to-go, coffee mug but I will dedicate an entire post to that research soon. I have a very active job and need my mug to have a lid, but I'd recommend using a regular mug if you have the option.