How To Easily Reduce Your Plastic Waste

For my whole adult life, I’ve always firmly believed in making sure things were properly recycled in order to do “my part” for the environment, but little did I know all of that plastic I’ve been throwing in the recycling bin can’t necessarily be recycled… and even if it can, it’s lifespan is only one or two recycles at most. We all learn the 3 R’s in school: reduce, reuse + recycle, but I don’t think we’re taught near enough about the actual recycling process and how important the first two R’s really are.

One of the hugest sources of plastic waste is bottled water. Think about it: you get a tall glass worth of water in there, you chuck the plastic in the recycling bin when you’re done and then you’re on to the next bottle. That is SO. MUCH. PLASTIC. going to waste, and honestly, in our North American neck of the woods? For no good reason.

So, what can you do to cut back on your plastic waste?

2,000 plastic water bottles are used every SECOND in the US (what?!) and they take 450 years to decompose. By 2050, it’s predicted that there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish. That’s terrifying, right? Thankfully, this bad habit has an easy solution.

Brita is an easy + sustainable alternative to bottled water. Using your Brita (BPA-free!) with a Longlast filter (works 3x longer and reduces more contaminants than the standard filters) can replace up to 1,800 single use plastic water bottles in a year.

Worried about what might be lurking in your tap water? The Brita Longlast filter reduces 99% of lead, plus mercury, chlorine, benzene and more. It also filters out odors and impurities so you water tastes that much better! My favorite part about these filters is that they last 6 months, so no frequent filter replacements required.

On the go? No problem. Get a BPA-free reusable water bottle (I find a 32oz is the best size to be able to comfortably carry but also have plenty of water on hand), fill it with your Brita before you leave the house and you’re set!

I hope you’ll join me in kicking the plastic water bottle habit by living #BetterWithBrita this year and encourage your friends and family to do so as well. Collectively, such a small + simple change can make a huge difference and this pro-planet movement is definitely one I want to be part of!