There has been a big hullabaloo about plastic straws harming the environment. Alternatives are available: paper straws, reusable straws and even drinking without a straw.
Alternatives to plastic cutlery and fast food containers are also available.
Public outcry is spurring food establishments to change for the better, despite extra costs.
While it is good that humans are concerned about pollution, it seems that people find it easy to demand that large corporations make a change. However, they are unwilling to make personal choices that could make an even bigger difference.
Some examples are: synthetic and disposable diapers, and synthetic menstrual products. Environment friendly products are readily available, and these are also money-saving since they are reusable.
Why don't consumers choose the environment friendly options? Parents using modern cloth diapers don't even need to touch any mess! The same goes for cloth feminine pads (which are also more comfortable and don't stink. Both cloth diapers and cloth pads come in all-natural fabrics like cotton, which will not release microfibres into the laundry (and eventually the ocean). **
Many times, consumers choose expensive products that harm the environment because
* they believe the advertising
* they got free samples which got them in the habit
* they have the misconception that reusable items are inconvenient, when really it is just another load of laundry--no more trouble than washing towels, dishes, or clothing.
One person using reusable diapers and menstrual pads can save the environment from several tons of plastic! Will it be you?
**In an article in The Guardian, written by Mary Catherine O'Connor, it says:
Multiple studies have shown synthetic fibers to make up the lion’s share of microplastics found in oceans, rivers and lakes, and clothes made from synthetics (polyester, nylon, and so on) are widely implicated as the source of that pollution. Microfibers, as the name implies, are tiny, so they can easily move through sewage treatment plants. Unlike natural fibers, such as cotton or wool, synthetic fibers do not biodegrade, and tend to bind with molecules of harmful chemical pollutants found in wastewater, such as pesticides or flame retardants. Studies have shown health problems among plankton and other small organisms that eat microfibers, which then make their way up the food chain. Researchers have found high numbers of fibers inside fish and shellfish sold at markets.