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Want to eat, drink and breathe in less plastic? With these tips you can make your body plastic free!

Source: BrightVibes

Together with MaatschapWij, BrightVibes is making a series on plastic. What’s the problem exactly and how can we solve it?
This week: Jeroen Dagevos from the Plastic Soup Foundation who explains to us how we can our body as plastic free as possible.

Plastic is everywhere

Plastic was found at the tops of the Himalaya and in the deepest trenches of the ocean. It’s in our food, drinking water and the air that we breathe. It even rains plastic.

This is because plastic never disappears. All the plastic that has ever been made is still on this earth. Just not in its original form. Bottles, straws, cups, wrappings and fishing nets: as soon as it enters nature, it breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces. We call it micro- and nano-plastics.

Jeroen Dagevos of the Plastic Soup Foundation Source: BrightVibes

say no to plastic

How can we, in spie of the omnipresence of plastic, make sure we keep our own body – and those of the people around us – as plastic-free as possible? We posed this question to Jeroen Dagevos of the Plasic Soup Foundation. These are his tips and tricks.

1. Go for tap water

Though plastic has been found in our drinking water, plastic bottles contain twice as much micro-plastics. Furthermore, every time you place the bottle to your lips or screw the cap on, pieces of plastic are released. So choose for a reusable (steel) bottle: that’s better for the environment ánd better for yourself.

2. choose natural clothing

From tights to flees sweaters to dresses and gymshorts: the largest part of our wardrobe consists of synthetic materials nowadays. But did you know that synthetic clothing fibers are a major source of pollution? Each time you wash them an average of 9 million pieces of plastic are released. Ad that’s only the average: with low quality fast fashion products, the amount can rise to about 17,7 million. All those plastics end up with ourselves through the 
 sewer, rivers and oceans. So choose natural materials such as biological cotton or hemp. And consume less: go for quality above quantity. Because the stronger the fabric, the less fibres are released during a wash.

Each time you use a plastic sponge, the material wears Source: BrightVibes

3. Get rid of your plastic sponge (and other plastic kitchen utensils)

I’m sure you’re familiar with them, those sponges with a dark green layer on top of them. They may scrub just fine, but every time you use the sponge, the material wears. And that causes the microplastics to be released into the air, your food and the sink. The same goes or other plastic kitchen stuff such as spatula’s and cutting boards. Choose alternative materials from now on such as metal, ceramics or wood.

4. Plastic-free cosmetics are all the rage

The bad news is that many cosmetics contain plastic. The good news is that there are só many alternatives. The Beat the Microbead website indicates which shampoos, toothpastes and lipsticks do and don’t contain plastics. Convenient, right?

5. Avoid plastics combined with warmth

In order to make a plastic product, flexible, colourful or UV-proof, all sorts of chemical substances and plasticizers are added to plastics. As soon as you heat up plastic, by, for instance, putting a plastic container in the microwave or by drinking tea from a plastic cup, these additives are released. So make sure to avoid this!

Despite the magnitude of the plastic problem, Jeroen remain hopeful. Want to know why? Watch his video portrait. Video by: Sanne van Hemert & Nadine Maarhuis (MaatschapWij)
Text by: Nadine Maarhuis (MaatschapWij)

In the next episode we'll talk to the Zero Waste Project about a life without plastic. Because a plastic free body begins with a plastic free world. Follow us on FaceBook or sign up for the newsletter to not miss a thing! Source: BrightVibes

Make an Impact

Plastic Soup Foundation

Want to know what else you can do to prevent plastic from entering our environment? Check out he website of the Plastic Soup Foundation.