So many of us have been living in our own little bubble since the news of Covid-19 surfaced. We found ourselves concerned about our jobs, finances, family, health, schooling, and the change in our lifestyle. These are all totally relevant things. However, very few people really looked further and took note of the impact that this pandemic has had on our environment – like waste reduction.
We took less cars on the road, and no air travel into consideration, and thought, hey – that’s going to do wonders for our environment, and it absolutely has – BUT, we’ve forgotten about many other things that are playing a negative role.
We have forgotten that waste management affects us as humans – our health and development, especially during this pandemic. Let’s rewind to the announcement of lockdown, when we all sat in suspense awaiting the president’s speech, eagerly anticipating whether we’d be going into full lockdown. People panicked – they overbought groceries. Things like toilet paper and food. But people didn’t just buy non-perishables, they also bought perishables. So, what’s the problem, you may ask? The wastage increased. We soon realized that trips to essential places, like the grocery store, were allowed. Perishables went to waste.
Restaurants soon realized that using plastic would be more affordable for take away meals than using more eco-friendly products, and because they were struggling, they quickly changed direction. Because take away was our only option to get our favourite restaurant meals during lockdown, we didn’t care that it meant we were adding to the environmental problem that was happening right before our eyes. And if you think about the amount of plastic that already ends up in our oceans and blowing around the streets, you can only imagine how this has made a negative impact.
An uncountable number of disposable face masks were bought, and take one guess where those ended up once they got used on a daily basis. This increased the amount of waste per day drastically and they are still trying to figure out how to discard this in the best way possible for it to have the least negative affect on our environment.
Think about the increased amount of plastic that was used in your home during lockdown. Perhaps you recycle, but uncountable homes don’t. Let’s think about medical waste and household waste – how has this been impacted?
The purpose of this is to open your eyes to what the problem is, and to figure out how we can help in being the solution. How can you make a change within your own lifestyle in order to minimize these issues. How can YOU educate others, like your friends and your family to do the same?
As a company, we pride ourselves in supplying products that make this easier for you – with products like glass coffee mugs, glass water bottles, organic bamboo cotton buds and tooth floss, stainless steel pegs, etc. This already assists you in making a small difference each day.
Remember, what we do creates the results we see.
By Kerry Engelen
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