One may wonder why we emphasize refusing plastic straws; it’s just a straw, right? Well, one plastic straw can cause more damage than you can imagine, and when roughly 7.5 billion people use plastic straws that cannot be recycled, it becomes a problem.
Creating a new habit
Studies have shown it takes approximately 21 days to create a new habit. Creating a habit takes dedication, though when there’s motivation, it isn’t as hard as it may seem. We want to help you create the habit of choosing sustainable and reusable alternatives. We’ve already shown you why it’s important to make lifestyle changes to save the ocean, now we want to show you how to do it.
We act in certain ways without thinking about it or feeling forced to do it; we do so because it’s natural, normal, and… well, because it’s a habit. At the moment, using single-use plastic items in our daily routine is considered “normal” with its easy and convenient accessibility. While this “habit” of using single-use plastics seems like it’s built into society, we want to help reconstruct your automatic response to single-use plastics to choose reusable and more sustainable choices instead.
Replace plastic straws with a reusable straw
Although plastic straws are polypropylene, a Type 5 recyclable plastic, recycling facilities are unable to accept them because their thin and lightweight body easily clogs machinery, causing disruptions and even damage to recycling equipment. So plastic straws aren’t recyclable, then where do they go? Well, when the full 20-minutes of the plastic straw’s useful life is over, they either end up on the ground, in the landfill or in the ocean.
And that makes the first lifestyle change easy: Replace single-use plastic straws with a reusable one. While refusing straws in public locations and drinking from the cup is an option, we understand some prefer to drink from straws. These single-use plastics can easily be replaced by reusable straws. They’re even available in numerous sizes, styles, and materials.
To begin your lifestyle change, you’re going to need a reusable straw that will be ideal for you. It should be easy to use and convenient whenever you’d like to use it; remember, these are the reasons why plastic straws are used. If you carry around a purse or pocketbook of any sort, choose one that can easily fit inside so it’s accessible. Don’t carry a purse or pocketbook? Not a problem. There are reusable straws that are foldable and can fit inside your pants’ pocket. Some are even available as keychains!
The next 30 days
We encourage our supporters to be the change they want to see in the world and now we’re going to help you be that change. For the next 30 days, we want you to focus on being that change by replacing plastic straws with a reusable one. If it takes you a little more than 30 days to create this habit, it’s okay! The important thing is that you’re trying.
Be sure to tag us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter and tell us about your journey as you start living the #4oceanLifestyle on our new Facebook Group, Discover 4ocean. Who knows? Your story might just inspire someone else to take up the challenge and change their lifestyle, too.
