Commemorating Thanksgiving meant having the entire family coming together, sharing fun stories, and eating lots of food — but with a side of plasticity. And by ‘plasticity’, we are talking about discarded plastics that had nothing to do with Thanksgiving all together.
Single-use plastics, cellophane bags, plastic bottles, and tiny packet-packaging can significantly affect the amount of trash being piled over landfills and places like the Great Pacific Garbage patch. And take note, this doesn’t even lessen the number of garbage expended during holidays every year. Statistically, Americans throw away 25% more trash during holidays such as Thanksgiving and New Year’s than any other day of the year which can then be translated to 25 million tons to about 1 million extra tons every week.
So, what can we do to help alleviate the situation in our way during the holidays?
- Start by buying plastic-free products from local farmers and producers. Bring your bags or baskets.
- Instead of new packaging, go for recycled packaging or get creative with what you already have lying around at home.
- Go for environmentally-smart gifts like food, plants, homemade consumables, and electronic cards. Making a phone call greeting is also a smart move but only when you’re away.
- Lastly, enjoy the spirit of Thanksgiving without having to worry about the amount of trash you had discarded today. Practice these methods every day if you do not like contributing more to your carbon footprint.
If we try and push our malls and grocery brands to start phasing out a significant amount of unnecessary single-use plastics, then we believe that we have a thanksgiving we can genuinely be thankful for.