As the new year begins, many of us are thinking about ways to improve ourselves. This year, why not focus on a habit that’s good for both us and the planet? Switching to reusables is an easy and effective way to reduce waste and make a positive impact on our health and the environment – win win!
There are many benefits to starting a new habit focused on using reusables, including:
- Reduce Waste: Every time you use your reusables, you’re saving items from ending up in the landfill. Many to-go items, including paper coffee cups, cannot be recycled or composted and end up in landfills or our environment.
- Save Money: Investing in reusable items can help you save money in the long run. By bringing a reusable cup with you, you can avoid the $0.25 disposable cup fee and many coffee shops even offer additional discounts when you bring your own cup!
- Conserve Resources: Manufacturing single-use items requires significant usage of energy, water, and raw materials. Using reusable items helps conserve these precious resources and lower our impact on the planet.
- Durability: Reusable items are sturdier than single-use options, making them likely to break, leak, or spill while you’re on the go.
- Reduce Exposure to Microplastics: Many single-use to-go items, such as coffee cups or paper containers, include a plastic liner to prevent leaking. Recent studies have shown that just 15 minutes after exposure to hot liquids, these plastic liners release microplastics and chemicals into the food. Skip the side of plastic and bring your own cup or container
Making the swap to reusables doesn’t have to be hard! Start small by bringing a reusable cup to your favorite café, and then build in more ways to use reusables instead of single-use items. To help make choosing reusables even easier, Zero Waste Marin is running a pilot program with Sparkl Reusables at the Thursday Civic Center Farmers’ Market: participating prepared food vendors will offer a reusable option to customers who forgot to bring their own reusables. Look out for this pilot program during the first few months of 2025! Small actions can add up to big impacts, making your 2025 more sustainable!