In the past, many people used to just throw their empty plastic waste bottles in the dustbin without a second thought. In 2023 though, we are much more aware of how and why it is important to reduce, reuse, and recycle. Sadly, over years and years of discarding our plastic, the globe has developed a global plastic waste problem that is now affecting humans, wildlife and the planet negatively.
This guide offers easy-to-follow tips for reducing the environmental impact of household cleaners as well as plastic waste solutions. We’ll give you the best ways how you can reduce plastic waste in your home to lessen the environmental impact.
The Plastic Problem – How Does Plastic Waste Affect The Environment?
Here are some very scary statistics about the current state of the plastic problem in the world right now:
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Currently, the world – which includes individuals, homes, and small and big businesses – produces hundreds of millions of tons of plastic waste every year.
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Plastic waste being dumped in landfills, in the ocean, and in our natural habitats is increasing at an average rate of 9% per year.
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Plastic waste makes up 80% of the marine pollution clogging up our oceans and waterways.
Not only does plastic waste affect our natural systems but their production is also a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in the world as well. Overall, a dire picture. However, as an individual, you can make an impact on this plastic waste dilemma.
Household Cleaners and Plastic Waste
A major contributor to the plastic waste problem is the build-up of household cleaning product packaging. A common type of plastic waste found in our landfills and oceans is packaging from cleaning products that are not recyclable and therefore get discarded in the waste.
But just how does the household cleaner packaging pollute our water and potentially cause both us and wildlife harm? Here’s how:
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When the landfills fill up, the discarded plastic waste spills over into our oceans
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Because they are not recyclable, they spend years – if not decades – in the ocean.
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The chemicals in both the plastic bottle itself as well as the chemicals left over as residue inside the bottles slowly seep out, polluting the water with chemicals that are harmful to sea life and humans.
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Large amounts of chemicals from the plastic itself have been detected in our natural waterways and oceans that have high amounts of plastic pollution in them including harmful chemicals like polypropylene, PVC, and polystyrene.
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These bottles can kill sea life that might try to eat them or get caught in them too.
Ways To Reduce Plastic Waste In Your Household
There are a few ways that you can start today, to reduce the amount of plastic waste that you throw away and that will impact the amount of waste that ends up in our landfills. It starts with choosing more environmentally-friendly household cleaners and it ends with making a concerted effort to choose recycled plastic products or packaging that is more recyclable. Here’s how:
Choose Environmentally-friendlier Products
You can make a huge impact by choosing to buy products that are formulated with more natural and eco-friendly ingredients. This means that if the plastic waste does end up in the ocean, it is not seeping as many chemicals into the water and it also means when you use cleaning products to clean at home, you are washing much fewer chemicals down the drain when you rinse.
Handy Andy is forging ahead in their commitment to creating a more environmentally-friendly product, both in their use of ingredients and in their recyclable packaging. The new Handy Andy Cream Cleaner range now uses 100% natural cleaning particles in its formulation making it much kinder to both you and the environment.
Handy Andy has also created spray cleaner bottles that are compatible with most spray triggers. So don't throw out your favourite spray cleaner triggers. Simply use it on any of our cleaning spray refill bottles.
Choose more Recyclable Plastic Packaging and Bottles
When choosing a cleaning agent, make sure that you check how recyclable the packaging is before you buy. Ideally, you want to choose a bottle or package that can be fully recycled and is also made from recycled materials itself. Of course, the next logical step is to make sure you recycle well at home. You should be separating your waste into paper, plastic, glass, and tin and recycling them accordingly to make the biggest impact on environmental and plastic waste.
Handy Andy creates their packaging with a total of 20% recycled plastic packaging currently. They have a brand vision of making that 100% too.
Choose Refills Where you Can
A great alternative to stopping buying plastic bottles month on month is to move to using a glass or plastic container from home and simply refill it each month. Choose a brand that offers refills as part of their product offering, which means that you simply need to buy the refill and fill your container at home.
Handy Andy offers cream cleaner refills. Their refill pouches that are bought in-store can be recycled too. It saves you money to buy refills because they are cheaper and a great eco-friendly option.
For more sustainable tips and tricks, visit Cleanipedia today.
