France has put a ban on all plastic dishware. It’s only one country, a small one at that, but it speaks to millions. It has gotten coverage on The Washington Post, CBS, Fox, Facebook. Awareness of plastic has been expanded to those who have maybe never had a second thought on their usage of it. It goes beyond our dishware. We are obsessed with plastic. It packages our food, we use it to eat, we even eat it...Plastic is a problem, but it’s more preventable than most. It is impossible to be completely plastic free, but there are many ways to reduce our use.

Plastic water bottles

Each year we use enough disposable water bottles to wrap around the world 149 times. They are super easy to just grab from our fridge and go or put a dollar into a vending machine, press B5 and voila. By investing in a water filter or water cooler can save you a lot of money in the long run. Get a reusable water bottle and make it necessary accessory. You'll drink more water and they can even match your outfit.

Plastic shopping bags

They have gotten more awareness within the past few years, but they are still flooding our oceans and roaming our streets. More than one million are used every minute. They are often used once and thrown away. You could start by bringing your already used plastic bags back to the grocery store to use them again. Or buy a few reusable bags. They aren't only useful for the food store, but also when you go clothes shopping or just need an extra bag.

Plastic sandwich baggies

These may not be worth the thought, but they are still plastic bags and they take 500-1,000 years to degrade. You can reuse them or use plastic, glass, or stainless steel containers. Plastic containers are still plastic containers, but it's a step and they can last longer than a plastic baggie.

Plastic cups, plates, forks, spoons, and knives

We are guilty of using at least one of them or all of them. Each year an american will throw away 185 pounds of plastic each year. That's a lot of plastic per house. That's a lot of plastic per neighborhood. That's a lot of plastic per city... That's a lot of plastic. So start bringing around a coffee mug instead of using the cups cafes and restaurants supply you. Skip the straw, are they really necessary?

Plastic, Plastic, Plastic. It's everywhere, but not often given a second thought. It's time to put plastic on our brains and be a little bit more aware of our usage of it. Our earth's drowning in it, and soon enough we will be too.