World Environment Day 2023

Over here at Sankoty Sustainables, every day is Environment Day, where we try to provide information and products that help reduce waste in our environment, but next Monday is extra special. Each year on June 5th, the UN hosts World Environment Day, and this year’s theme happens to be plastic pollution and all the ways to fight it!

So just how bad is our plastic waste that the UN dedicated a whole day to the topic? Per biologicaldiversity.org, Americans use 100 BILLION plastic bags a year, and that’s just the bags, (and just the US). According to the UN, 36% of all plastic is from packaging, and per earthday.org, a whopping 91% of all plastic is NOT recycled! All of this plastic then ends up in landfills or the oceans and takes centuries to biodegrade. YIKES!

We believe that single-use plastic should be a rare occasion, not the default. With all of the amazing reusable or biodegradable alternatives we have like washable towels, solid soaps and shampoos, bamboo options, and more traditional packaging materials that can be refilled, single-use plastic isn’t even the cheapest, healthiest, or most convenient option for most consumers anymore, and it definitely isn’t the highest quality.

Besides reducing our plastic consumption and using reusable items instead, we should also put an emphasis on repairing or repurposing items we already have, even the so-called “single-use” items. Repairing items, especially machinery and fabrics, used to be the norm, but now we live in a culture obsessed with buying new. Instead of throwing away something when just a part breaks, see if you can invest in repairing it instead. It might be a little more effort, but it could also be ultimately less expensive and much more environmentally friendly.

Finally, included in the UN guide to beating plastic is one important tip that is bolded: “Do not give up! Progress is being made…” Even if you have to use plastic from time to time, using less or reusing something even once cuts down on the production of even more plastic. There is a problem, yes, but we know how we can fight it, and sharing our successes and vision for the future this World Environment Day will make it easier and easier to keep reducing waste both in our day-to-day lives and on a large scale. Together we can #BeatPlasticPollution!