Microplastics & 15 Ways to Avoid Making Them

We are living on this planet as if we had another one to go to.

I know some don’t care. Hopefully, if you stumbled upon my blog, you are one who is curious or does care. We have been treating our earth pretty poorly. At first, I think it was an innocent mistake, but since some choose to ignore or not do anything about it, it’s becoming quite frustrating.

For those who don’t know, plastics will not biodegrade. They also cannot be indefinitely recycled. When you see a piece of plastic wash up on the beach and say “Look, it’s smaller! There are pieces missing!” This isn’t a good thing.

What Are Microplastics?

Microplastics are formed when plastics break down.  Since they don’t biodegrade, the form tiny bits of rice and sand sized plastics.  For awhile, we have been finding plastics in animals. Birds are starving to death without them realizing due to feeling full from all the plastic they’ve eaten & 90% of seabirds have eaten it. This isn’t a one size fits all thing either. They’re eating fibers from your synthetic clothing and tiny microplastics that are being formed. Scientists in the UK have even found fibers blocking the food passages in plankton. So this is a worldly problem caused by humans.

Some may say, “So what? I don’t eat birds.” Well my friends, scientists in Galway found 73% of deep sea fish to contain microplastics too. This means, even humans are consuming plastics if they don’t intend to. Don’t believe me? For the first time, microplastics have been found in human excrement. Another problem with consuming plastics? They contain artificial colorings, flame retardants, and can absorb containments that lurk in our waterways. These additives, along with plastics themself, are known endocrine disruptors.

Plastics are not only wrecking havoc on the earth, but our bodies & the creatures around us bodies too. Endocrine disruptors cause your hormones to become unbalanced, which cause a wide array of problems. We’re seeing a rise in infertility, diabetes, early onset puberty, cancers, & cancers. When you begin researching, you see that a variety of things are causing this such as diet, chemicals in our homes, and plastics.

Where Plastic Lurks

Unfortunately, plastics can be found almost everywhere in our lives. In 2015, a study in Paris was done and estimated that three to 10 tones of airborne fibers reach the city’s surface each year. These fibers are guessed to be made from common friction against your clothes.

• Children’s toys
• Food containers
• Water bottles
• Lining of canned foods
• Vinyl purses
• Synthetic clothes
• Toothbrushes
• Grocery store bags

Obviously, the list goes on. But see why it’s such a big deal on why you should avoid it when you can? I didn’t realize until a few years ago that my canned food still had plastic! I thought canned food was a safe go to.

Plastic Alternatives

Humans lived without plastic on Earth for many moons. So, lucky for us and the environment, there are still some great alternatives! 

1. Store food in break-proof glass stainless steel containers
2. Use bowl covers or beeswax wraps instead of plastic wrap
3. Walk or bike instead of driving (as tires wear out, they leave behind microplastics)
4. Avoid plastic packaging when possible, but loose produce instead
5. Invest in a stainless or glass water bottle
6. Eat at the restaurant to avoid to go containers or ask them to pack your food in your own containers
7. Bring your own bags when shopping
8. Use cloth diapers!
9. Invest in wooden or metal toys for your kiddos
10. Use a bamboo toothbrush
11. DIY toiletries whenever possible 
12. Buy clothes made with non-plastic fibers (linen, cotton, wool, silk, etc)
13. Look for things not wrapped in plastics, such as unpapertowels or Who Gives A Crap products
14. Skip glitter or look for it made with biodegradable materials
15. Buy a Coraball, Guppyfriend washing bag, or washing machine filter to catch microfibers from your clothes

What do you do to avoid plastic? Let me know!

Thanks for reading! Have a blessed week.