2020 will go down in history for many reasons, but in addition to the huge number of lives lost to Covid, one of the most tragic results of this year was the increase in pollution — our land and oceans have become littered with medical and plastic waste! A study in the Environment, Science & Technology journal estimates that 129 billion face masks and 65 billion gloves have been used each month! Due to social distancing and the related increase in food and product deliveries, packaging waste is now an even larger threat. A new report by the nonprofit Oceana estimates that Amazon was responsible for 465 million pounds of plastic packaging waste last year itself!
At Maxim Hygiene, we’re constantly evaluating our environmental impact and the ways in which we can contribute to the Earth positively. As the new year approaches, it’s important to recognize our individual impact on the world and assess how to make it better through small changes in our behavior. We’ve outlined 5 easy ways for you to lower your footprint below —
1. Eat Less Meat
Eating more vegetables and locally grown foods can greatly support environmental sustainability and local businesses. Did you know about 80% of the Amazon rainforest has been destroyed to raise cattle for meat and 70% of grain production in the U.S. is used to feed livestock instead of people? Animal agriculture alone is responsible for around 14.5% of greenhouse gas emissions, which amounts to more exhaust from all transportation! If you need encouragement, think of the health benefits — those who eat plant based diets generally eat fewer calories and less fat, weigh less, and have a lower risk of heart disease than non-vegetarians do.
2. Drink Tap Water
Ditch the plastic water bottles and opt for filtered tap water — it’s cheaper, more convenient, and better for the planet! Did you know approximately 80% of plastic water bottles end up in landfills? In fact, U.S. landfills are overflowing with more than 2 million tons of discarded water bottles which makes sense given it takes up to 1,000 years for each bottle of water to decompose, leaking chemicals into the ground along the way.
As you make the switch, remember that water is a precious resource. An estimated 783 million people, almost 1 in 10 globally, do not have access to clean water and almost 2.5 billion do not have access to adequate sanitation. Use the water we do have purposefully, so that others may have access. Try taking shorter showers, turning off the faucet when brushing your teeth, or washing your dishes in a bowl of water instead of under a running tap.
3. Go Paperless
From bank bills to magazines and promotional mailings, our mailboxes get stuffed with paper every day. It’s not only annoying but unnecessary; paper products account for about 10% of deforestation worldwide. If every US household simply chose to receive electronic bank statements,18.5 million trees could be saved and 2.2 billion tons of greenhouse gases and 1.7 billion pounds of solid waste could be avoided per year. Even American businesses have a great opportunity — currently it’s estimated they waste 21 million tons of paper per year, even though digital solutions like email are readily available, more immediate, and widely used. Tell your bank you want to go paperless, subscribe to digital magazine and newspaper subscriptions, and then book a ticket to Brazil so you can go see the Amazon forest which you’ll be helping to save.
4. Ditch the Plastic & Switch
Plastics don’t biodegrade. That means that every single use plastic you’ve touched is still around and will be for centuries after you’ve used it! This includes plastic tampon applicators. According to the book Flow: The Cultural History of Menstruation, the average woman throws away up to 300 pounds of feminine hygiene related products in a lifetime and in the US, almost 12 billion pads and 7 billion tampons are disposed of each year!
We urge you to consider switching to cardboard applicators or tampons with no applicator at all. For those who have never used an applicator-less tampon before, the idea of sticking a cotton bullet into our bloody vagina with bare fingers can seem icky, but in reality, it’s a fairly clean process (once you’ve read the instructions), equally effective, and monumentally better for the environment.
5. Recycle Properly
Before you recycle, see if you can reuse or repair the item. It’s estimated that less than 10% of plastic is recycled properly. When recycling be sure to take lids off cups, empty plastic containers of their contents before tossing them into their respective bins, cut up soda/beer can plastic rings, and be sure to double check online before trying to recycle electronics like computers or cellphones as many can be donated, sold, or taken apart for old parts!