无论是被模制成不同的形状，坐在垃圾填埋场中还是破坏自然栖息地，几乎我们使用过的所有塑料都位于地球上的某个地方。环境影响是灾难性的。根据塑料披露项目，塑料对700多种鸟类和动物产生负面影响。A recent study found that more than half of all sea turtles have ingested plastic bags and that almost all of the world’s seabird population will be contaminated with plastics by 2050. It’s not just marine life that is suffering: According to Environmental Health News, some chemicals found in plastics, which can be absorbed by human bodies, have been found to change human hormones and can even have other negative effects on human health.

1.将可重复使用的手提袋放在您的车里

根据Surfrider Foundation的说法，据估计，美国人每年要经过约1000亿个塑料袋，每人每年360个袋子。尽管这些袋子经常在房屋周围重新居住，从垃圾桶到狗狗袋，但大多数袋子最终以垃圾填埋场，将化学药品浸入我们的水系统中。“当下雨时，人行道和街道上的垃圾在排水沟中积聚，并被扫入城市的雨水排水系统中。大多数雨水排水系统直接排出到最近的水道，最终流向海洋。” Eiring说。

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2. Carry a Reusable Water Bottle With You Everywhere

包装的负面影响

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When use of plastic water bottles boomed in the 1990s, according to Banthebottle.net, the amount of plastic waste increased dramatically. On average, Americans now buy more than 50 billion plastic bottles per year, only 40 percent of which are recycled. Many of these bottles contain two chemicals harmful to humans, bisphenol A (BPA) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Over time, these substances can change the hormone balance in human bodies. A report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicated that 93 percent of people have levels of BPA in their urine that can be detected. The simple solution: Bring a BPA-free water bottle with you during the day, and fill up on the go.

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3. Go Straw-Free

Straws are one of the top five things picked up during beach cleanups in coastal communities by Surfrider’s chapter network. And it’s no surprise when you figure that more than 6 million straws have been produced in the past 25 years. The Be Straw-Free project (ChooseToBeStrawFree.com) is trying to change that policy. Started by an 11-year-old boy from Vermont, its focus is on restaurants to adopt his “Offer First” policy, in which vendors offer straws to customers instead of just automatically serving them with all beverages. Follow this advice in your own life to significantly reduce your use of plastics.

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4.批量购买

14 Smart Ways to Cut Food Waste

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Buying from the bulk food bins at the grocery store is not just an environmentally friendly thing to do, it also keeps more money in your wallet. A 2012 report from Portland State University showed how buying in bulk could prevent hundreds of millions of pounds of packaging from going into landfills every year. In addition, the same report confirms that consumers can save 89 percent of their food budget by buying bulk instead of packaged foods. Not only is there less waste in terms of non-recyclable plastic packaging, but also food manufacturers save money on material and delivery costs in some key categories -- savings that are passed along to consumers. Try reusing the plastic bags you get from the bulk sections each time you return to the store before transferring them to non-plastic containers at home.

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5.带有微珠的斧头美容产品

Small plastic beads found in cosmetics are ending up in our waterways. One researcher found 1.1 million of them per square kilometer in Lake Ontario, according to an NPR report. These beads, which soak up toxins, look like food to marine life. So the fish eat them, and then we eat the fish. The best way to get these bits of plastic out of your life is to avoid “polyethylene” or “polypropylene” in common drugstore items like toothpaste, exfoliators and soap.

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6.重用三明治袋子（值得洗涤）

不仅仅是塑料购物袋，最终都在海龟中：Ziploc袋也没有被回收，它们是伟大的太平洋垃圾补丁的主要贡献者。Nancy Eiring说：“它是塑料碎片区域的两倍，在德克萨斯州的大小中，电流收集和收集碎屑 - 主要是各种类型的塑料。”这种碎片阻止了阳光到达藻类和浮游生物对整个海洋生物的关键。正如琼斯母亲所建议的那样，通过用肥皂和冷水洗涤它们，以避免任何潜在的化学物质浸入食物中，从而重复使用袋装。更好的是：改为购买可重复使用的三明治和零食袋。

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7.只对EPS泡沫容器拒绝

EPS foam, commonly known as Styrofoam, is a lightweight packaging material with high heat retention, great for coffee cups and packing materials. However, it is virtually unrecyclable and made from petroleum, a non-sustainable, polluting substance. The process of manufacturing EPS foam is also a hazard in and of itself; workers who produce styrene expose themselves to adverse health effects. In 2011, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services stated that EPS foam can “reasonably be anticipated to be a human carcinogen.” When these containers are used for hot food, studies have shown that chemicals leach from the material into food. Bring a reusable mug for coffee, your own glass containers for leftovers at restaurants and use biodegradable packing peanuts made from organic materials like cornstarch.

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8.退出一次性用具

在理想的世界中，我们永远不必使用一次性用具。塑料叉和刀具使外卖午餐变得更加容易，加上样品尺寸的汤匙是到处都是冰淇淋店的福音。据Whole Foods Magazine称，据估计，每年制造400亿个单独的塑料器皿，大多数是可回收的。输入由木材和其他植物材料制成的较新的堆肥叉和刀，它们会自然生物降解。更好的是：前进，在旅途中携带可重复使用的器皿。

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9. Leave Produce Containers at the Store

When you shop right at the food source, reusing containers becomes easy. If you go to the same farmers market every week, the vendors will be grateful to see those green plastic containers for berries and cherry tomatoes, suggests MyPlasticFreeLife.com. You can do this at a regular grocery store too: After checking out, empty out the produce into your own glass food-storage containers before leaving the store. That way the fruit stays uncrushed by your tote bag, and you can give the plastic directly back to the store to use another time.

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10. Recognize That You Have a Choice

“一旦人们理解问题，就很容易改变我们的行为。如果您想到使用多少塑料 - 从袋子到水瓶再到塑料吸管，这都加起来了。” Surfrider Foundation的Nancy Eiring说。环顾四周，看看自己可以改变自己的生活。选择使用纸包装的面包店，或者只是烤面包。选择使用火柴代替塑料打火机。减少整体废物，以减少使用塑料垃圾袋的使用，例如，使用布料餐巾纸和清洁抹布代替纸巾。选择在玻璃罐中购买枫糖浆和花生酱等食物。将饮用水放在成人的不锈钢容器中，并为孩子们带来吸引人的杯子。有这么多的小事情可以减少您日常使用塑料，它只需要您开始做出更聪明，更有意识的选择。

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What Can YOU Do?

您如何看待这些技巧？您还有其他想法可以减少对塑料的使用吗？您会在生活中实施任何这些变化吗？

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