The Trouble with Packaging
And What We Can Do About It
We just learned packaging makes up about 33% or 1/3 of the average landfill… which is pretty crazy! We also know a lot of what’s supposed to end up in a landfill ends up in our ocean, contributing to the 8 million tons of plastic waste and debris ending up in the ocean every year.
It’s important we try and reduce our individual waste as much as possible. This can be easier said than done. For example, we know it can be difficult to avoid plastic packaging in online orders – especially from the big ecommerce stores such as Amazon. So, here are our 3 quick tips to avoid that plastic packaging!
1. Reuse what you can. If an item arrives wrapped in a plastic bag or ziplock for example, try to hold onto this and reuse when needed.
2. Request less packaging on Amazon orders and if you're ordering a bunch of stuff, see if they can be ordered at the same time and shipped in the same box.
3. Better yet, avoid ordering from stores like Amazon and opt for local sources or smaller ecommerce stores who focus on sustainability. Our team at Free the Ocean tries to use as little packaging as possible (and no plastic, ever)! Using recycled paper and cardboard boxes gives our community a chance to compost or reuse the packaging easily, instead of having to shake your head and toss it in the bin.
There’s no reason for products to be shipped with a lot of packaging and certainly no reason for products to be encased in single-use plastic. Consumers have the power to influence change. If enough of us demand that the companies we purchase products from, not use plastic in their packaging, they’ll find a more sustainable way to do it.
If you are looking for plastic-free options that are shipped as mindfully as possible, look no further than FTO’s online store – each product purchased funds the removal of more plastic… helping remove it and keep it out.
