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How to Give Up Plastic
How to Give Up Plastic: A Guide to Changing the World, One Plastic Bottle at a Time | Will Mccallum
9 posts | 12 read | 16 to read
An accessible guide to the changes we can all make--small and large--to rid our lives of disposable plastic and clean up the world's oceans It takes 450 years for a plastic bottle to fully biodegrade, and there are around 12.7 million tons of plastic entering the ocean each year. At our current pace, in the year 2050 there could be more plastic in the oceans than fish, by weight. These are alarming figures, but plastic pollution is an environmental crisis with a solution we can all contribute to. How to Give Up Plastic is a straightforward guide to eliminating plastic from your life. Going room by room through your home and workplace, Greenpeace activist Will McCallum teaches you how to spot disposable plastic items and find plastic-free, sustainable alternatives to each one. From carrying a reusable straw, to catching microfibers when you wash your clothes, to throwing plastic-free parties, you'll learn new and intuitive ways to reduce plastic waste. And by arming you with a wealth of facts about global plastic consumption and anecdotes from activists fighting plastic around the world, you'll also learn how to advocate to businesses and leaders in your community and across the country to commit to eliminating disposable plastics for good.
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janeycanuck
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Pickpick

An excellent primer on how to reduce the plastic in your life without being preachy or condescending. McCallum gives many examples of ways to reduce plastic, offering alternatives & illustrating how even small changes can make a big difference. He shares how he's reduced his plastic use and places that catch him up with facts about plastic use today. A great place to start if you've done the obvious in reducing plastic and need the next step.

janeycanuck Finished during my #slumpathon, hosted by @Hestapleton 3y
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janeycanuck
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I‘ve completely put away work for the weekend (shut the computer right down and tucked the keyboard & mouse away) and am going to put my phone in a drawer as soon as I hit the “post” button. Tonight is about this tea, this blanket and these books to start me off on my #slumpathon.

rockpools That‘s a wonderful plan! 3y
Aims42 Enjoy your weekend, that looks like a great plan!!! 📚☕️🫖💗 3y
LeahBergen Enjoy!! 🫖 3y
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StaceGhost
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Pickpick

Listening to audiobooks and stitching my life back together 🖤💁‍♀️

BookmarkTavern That looks amazing! 4y
NeedsMoreBooks Beautiful 😍 4y
veritysalter I love this! I wish I could embroider, my grandmother tried so hard to teach me. But I‘m rubbish. 4y
22 likes3 comments
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Emilymdxn
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Pickpick

Nice quick primer on beginning to live a more plastic free life and encourage others to do the same. This would probably have worked better as a physical than audiobook but that‘s not the book‘s fault. It combined a good sense of urgency with never being preachy or judgmental of people finding it hard to stop using plastic, acknowledging that the way our society is set up doesn‘t make it easy for anyone. Would be great for younger readers too

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Tamra
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Pickpick

This book definitely makes you ponder ways you can reduce & reuse. It also notes eco-brands & eco-focused websites to check out. The photo includes my most annoying regular plastic purchase. 😒

MicheleinPhilly Ugh! Those boxes drive me NUTS! 5y
Tamra @MicheleinPhilly it is ridiculous, but produce packagers claim it reduces waste by delaying spoilage. Yet at the same time waste has dramatically increased since the 90s. 😩 (edited) 5y
Blaire Ooh, I am on a quest to do this. Have switched to bar shampoo and attempting a laundry detergent switch. So many single use plastics everywhere! #stacked 5y
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Tamra @Blaire bar shampoo? I need to ask my hairdresser! I‘m looking for a good HE detergent w/o plastic container. Any luck so far? I also have kids which means lots of washing so it can‘t be comparatively crazy expensive. 5y
Blaire @Tamra I bought ethique for shampoo - it was $$ but one bar is supposed to equal 3 bottles. For detergent I‘m trying dropps for the first time this month. It was $30 for 160 loads. 5y
Tamra @Blaire I will definitely check both out! 5y
66 likes1 stack add6 comments
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Aimeesue
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Way ahead of you, Will. The Beeswrap is fairly new, but we've been using cloth napkins, steel straws and reusable teacups for a loooooong time now. Hoping to find some more good ideas about cutting down on the use of plastics.
Pretty sure this was #BlameitonLitsy purchase.
One thing I like about this book is that he makes allowances right up front.🔽

Aimeesue Not everybody will be able to give up all plastics all the time. I'm a diabetic- I would literally die without plastic insulin pump sets. There are a LOT of medical uses for plastics. Some people with disabilities need plastic straws: substitutes just don't work for them. That is all perfectly OK. Reduce and replace where you can, and use what you truly NEED. 5y
SamanthaMarie Stacked! I like that he allows for the necessary plastic uses. Makes it seem like a good book from the get go when you can allow that some people need plastic to survive. :) 5y
Aimeesue @SamanthaMarie Agreed! The important bit is rethinking how you use plastics, and giving up what you can, without dying, hopefully. 👍🏽 5y
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Tamra One major thing I did that is a big saver in the kid department is investing in Planetboxes & accessories for my kids‘ lunches. Lately my husband is even using one! They are 6 years old now and look/function like brand new. No plastic baggies or silverware or bottles or straws. No new plastic box every year either. 👍🏾 (edited) 5y
Aimeesue @Tamra Those look nice! My husband and daughter went with glass bento boxes. The lids have some plastic (the locking bits) but they've worked well, don't leak, and can be used in the microwave, which is apparently VERY important. I work from home, so my lunch is just there in the fridge. 😋 We do use wax paper baggies once in a while. They work well for most things, unless they wettish. (edited) 5y
Tamra @Aimeesue do you make the wax paper baggies or can you buy? I don‘t know if I‘ve seen them. 5y
Aimeesue @Tamra I bought them. Target carries them, near all the plastic baggies and lunch boxes. Amazon carries them, but that comes with its own issues. 😂 I have the Reynolds ones, but the Lunchskins ones are cute. Those must be new. https://www.target.com/s?searchTerm=wax+paper+sandwich+bags&category=0%7CAll%7Cm... 5y
Tamra @Aimeesue I will look!! Thanks! 5y
Weaponxgirl I like the sound of this book, it should also be said when giving up plastic that if you already have it in your house don‘t throw it out to be more zero waste! That‘s just as bad for the environment. I have lots of plastic boxes from takeaways that I reuse constantly. They don‘t look the prettiest but they do the job. 5y
Aimeesue @Weaponxgirl Indeed. I have Tupperware that‘s at least 12 years old. I‘m not throwing it out! A lady at church keeps all the containers/platters/disposable dishes that people bring food in for potlucks and coffee hour. We acquired some pretty heavy duty stuff! 5y
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strandbookstore
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Climate change is real! ☀ It's up to us to demand climate solutions and vote vote VOTE!

Aimeesue Drawdown is excellent. ❤️ 5y
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Twocougs
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Inspiring book that went well with my goal of #plasticfreeJuly . It‘s gives science based info on the problem and easy advice on how to begin to rid your life of plastic. Happy to say I‘ve made progress but it‘s not easy with all the packaging in our lives.

janeycanuck Oh, I didn‘t know this existed, I‘ve been trying to start reducing our plastic so I‘m going to have to get my hands on a copy. 5y
Twocougs @janeycanuck I think it‘s available in the States now but I got my copy from Blackwell‘s in the UK- free shipping to the US😊. Some good advice 5y
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Beccas
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Wow, there is plastic in so many things that it just never occurred to me would use it.