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The detrimental effect of over-using our Earth’s non-renewable resources is something you've surely heard about by now. There have been UN Climate Change Conferences and plans to enforce environmental regulations are now a crucial part of every political candidate's campaign when running for office. It's difficult to deny that our waste in the water, land, and air is piling up around us, and at some point, it's time for consumers to stop waiting and take action. One of the biggest occupants of landfills – as well as one of the biggest drains on energy – is the various types of plastics we use every day. As a matter of fact, South Africa implemented an effort to reduce their plastic waste by placing a tax on plastic bags. The nation recognized that the complete takeover of plastic bags was an issue when they began to notice the sheer amount of litter that was made up of plastic bags; they'd be floating around in the wind, catching on fences and poles. Taxing them was a controversial but monumental effort in minimizing the issue. Or, consider the packaging of fresh meats in your local grocery store. What immediately comes to mind is a Styrofoam platter wrapped in plastic, because this is the most common way it is sold. We discard this packaging and it often does not get or cannot be recycled. It adds to the waste when we could be using sustainable materials that use only renewable resources as opposed to precious, non-renewable ones. We could also be re-using our waste to minimize the amount that is put out each year. That's why so many food industries are turning to sustainable food packaging. How many take-out boxes do you think leave restaurants only to get discarded on a daily basis in America alone? The amount of garbage we put out is insufferable, especially non-recyclable garbage. If every restaurant, bakery, and food store were to use sustainable packaging, waste output and resource consumption would be significantly slowed. Paperboard food boxes, for example, are made from renewable resources and are 100% recyclable at most facilities. Many are even made from post-consumer materials, meaning not only that there is less waste, but that we are actually reusing that waste. Though food industries have miles to go in terms of becoming more sustainable, creating less pollution and using fewer resources, if every company that used Styrofoam or plastic would make the switch, it would be a huge step in the right direction. Consumers can step in by choosing to buy fresher products rather than packaged ones. Items made in a plant, if one considers it, may have a longer shelf-life, but they also take more chemicals to produce and their packaging plants tend to be wasteful in terms of energy. However, if you bought from a bakery that sold fresh goods in a paperboard box, you'd be doing your part as a consumer. Minimizing waste is an important issue for consumers and retailers alike to consider. Even small steps add up, and by making one change at a time, climate change might not sound like such a threatening term.
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