REFUSE
This is the single greatest way we can actively support our mission.
Single-use plastic is simply those plastic items that are intended to be used only once before it is thrown away.
That includes products such as plastic grocery bags, straws and coffee stirrers, most food packaging, Styrofoam to-go containers, plastic utensils, and much, much more.
Single-use plastic products make a bad problem even worse, and we see their destructive impact daily.
A 2016 study by the World Economic Forum suggests that by 2050 there will be more plastic by weight in our ocean than fish.
According to the report, more than 70 percent of the plastic we produce is either put in a landfill or lost to the world’s waterways and oceans.
- Did you know that in the next ten years, the plastic in our oceans and along our coast is expected to triple?
- Right now, there are more microplastics in our waters than there are stars in the Milky Way?
- Do you stop and consider that the plastic bag or take-out container is harmful to the marine life? It is. Many hatchlings that wash back along our beaches are suffering from the impacts of mistaking these single use plastics for food. And once eaten, it leads to malnutrition and eventual starvation.
- When you choose to refuse single-use plastic products, you increase the chance that our planet can recover from plastic overuse. Coastal Stewards commit to do our part and, together, we make a difference.
Why is it imporant to reduce our use?
Plastics do not biodegrade. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, outside of the small amount of plastics incinerated, every bit of plastic ever manufactured still exists today. Plastics pile up on our beaches, floating in our waters and they poison and pollute our wildlife. The use of single-use plastics has tripled in the last 20 years.
We don’t simply want to talk about the need to REFUSE Single Use Plastics. It’s well past time to Act. Now we challenge everyone to get serious and REFUSE Single Use Plastics. Choose a reusable or recyclable product instead.
What items can you REFUSE today?
- Plastic Shopping Bags
- Plastic produce bags
- Plastic cutlery (forks, sporks, knives, spoons)
- Plastic straws
- Plastic water bottles
- Plastic/Styrofoam take-out or to-go containers
- Plastic containers
- Plastic cups
- Six-pack rings
- Plastic toothbrushes
- Cotton swabs with plastic stems
- Plastic tape
What items can you CHOOSE today instead?
- Canvas or other reusable bags
- Metal cutlery or other reusable silverware
- Paper or stainless-steel straws
- Reusable drink bottles and cups
- Buy products in boxes/glass/aluminum instead of plastic
- Wax paper, foil, or silicone wraps & covers
- Bamboo toothbrushes
- Swabs that have paper stems
- Masking tape
- Use bar soaps & shampoos instead of liquids sold in plastic containers
