Beginning the SHIFT: Collect your weekly plastic waste in a jar

Hey there! 

Did you know – Single use plastic takes anywhere between 20 to 1,000 years to break down. While a small percentage is recycled, more and more items are sent to landfills and millions ending up polluting land and water.  Thousands of birds, and sea dwellers are killed by plastic each year, as animals mistake them for food. More than 8 million tons of plastic is dumped in our oceans every year! Crazy right?

So let’s begin a simple SHIFT at our personal levels. 

Here’s a simple exercise, which will make you think in a direction to make easy SHIFTS that can reduce your plastic waste. After all, every drop in an ocean really counts! 

Start by putting aside a jar, or a bin, which is allocated to plastic waste only. Collect all the plastic waste produced in your home in this. Simply analyze your waste, weekly or monthly, and you will be surprised to see how much we waste without realizing! So much of that waste is avoidable. Did I really have to buy that plastic bottle of water? Could I do without the plastic cutlery that comes with food deliveries if I requested them not to send it? Could I have re-used this plastic bag, now that I have it?

And you’ll notice, that in routine, we forget to think before we buy. But with this exercise in process, we automatically become wired to be more mindful. 

And who says this has to be boring. Turn this into a fun game! Challenge other members in the family or your friends circle. The person with the least amount of plastic in a week/ month wins! You can keep a small gift at the end of it, which the losers buy – like a lunch outing or beers! 

Try this activity especially if you have kids at home. This will enable them to grow up with a habit of being mindful. Imagine the difference that would make! 

And while you’re on it, post about this on social media. Get the kids to talk about it in school and compete with friends. Let your efforts inspire others! You see the difference this simple SHIFT can make?

And don’t forget to tell us how you did it – Click pictures, of you, your friends, yours kids and your waste jars. And send them in to us/ tag us so we can toot the horn for your efforts!