As temperatures continue to rise and natural resources continue to dwindle it’s becoming more and more obvious that we humans need to change our wasteful ways before it’s too late.

Our once beautiful world is becoming choked with single-use trash like plastic water bottles, straws, fast food containers, eating utensils, and so much more, littering our roadsides and washing up on the tides.

It’s disgusting, and it’s also dangerous as these plastics break down into potentially dangerous microscopic bits that are ingested by a wide variety of lifeforms that include us, with negative health consequences that we are only now just beginning to understand.

It doesn’t need to be this way, we humans are clever beings and if we put our minds to it we can always find a solution, and hopefully in time before disaster strikes. The clock is ticking, so what can you do today to slow down our march toward a poisoned doom?

Here are some items that can help for you to consider:

Reusable Plastic Cups

These days if you attend a music festival or a fair it’s becoming increasingly likely that you will be drinking from a new generation of reusable plastic cups that are designed to be used, reused, and then reused again for up to three hundred uses including trips through a standard dishwasher.

These incredibly eco-friendly party cups are made of cutting-edge materials like polypropylene (Type #5), and Tritan (Type #7) that can withstand a multitude of multiple uses before they finally need to be recycled to begin the process all over again.

Say “Cheers” with reusable plastic cups and save the planet.

Reusable Metal Straws

It took decades for us to finally realize that plastic single-use drinking straws were absolutely horrible for the environment, so much so that many cities and countries around the world have completely banned their use.

Fortunately for soft drink lovers who like their fizzy beverages best when sucked up through a straw, there are now reusable metal straws. These fun straws are available in both standard and smoothie styles in a variety of fun and shiny colours, and come with a storage pouch and cleaner brush included. Slurp your way to a green future.

Forever Baggies

Even if you were very careful you could only get three or four uses out of the old zip-locking plastic bags before the zipper stopped zipping, which was better than just using it once and tossing it in the bin, but still pretty wasteful.

Now you can keep your snacks fresh in reusable forever baggies made of thick, sturdy silicon with closure strips that you can open and close over and over again without any fuss. These amazing storage baggies are not only infinitely reusable, but they are also microwave and freezer-safe. These bags are real keepers and help keep the planet green.

Green Trash Bags

Even though we are doing our very best to reduce household waste, there are still going to be some things that you simply have to toss out in the bin or face serious health dangers as they decompose and rot in your home, yuck.

Fortunately, you no longer need to use terribly wasteful plastic trash bags made from precious fossil fuels that take decades to break down in the tip, now you can stuff your garbage into eco-friendly green trash bags made of 90% post-consumer plastic and 10% per cent renewable sugarcane.

They aren’t quite as strong or hefty as the old-style bags so be a bit gentle, but the extra trouble is worth it since you will no longer be throwing away your future with the rubbish.

Permanent Coffee Filters

Coffee makes the world go round, it’s the way millions of people across the globe start their day, and brewing our morning pot has become as a kind of sacred morning ritual. Unfortunately, single-use paper filters are wasteful, especially considering how many of us use them every single morning of the week.

That’s where these high-quality stainless steel mesh refillable gold tone filters can make a huge difference. Instead of binning a used paper filter after your morning coffee has been savoured, you can just stick this reusable filter in the dishwasher and use it again every day.

Not only will you be helping the environment you will also be saving yourself a lot of money (and a lot of trees.) by not having to constantly restock those disposable filters. Another cup, please.

The Australian Trade and Investment Commission Australia Circular Economy Project has set highly ambitious targets to greatly increase waste recovery and recycling rates.

Australia is aiming for an 80% average resource recovery rate from all waste streams by 2030, equating to an extra 15 million tonnes of material every year. You can help, beginning with a reusable cup and a straw.