Do you already know the range of products that will help you reduce the use of plastic?

Single-use plastic is a luxury that our planet cannot afford; it is the responsibility of each of us to reduce its consumption.

In the past we have already discussed this issue on our blog Boonboo, with some posts that talked about how to reduce the amount of plastics that end up in the sea. We have also recommended some documentaries that can help you better understand the problem of plastics in the oceans in this post.

If you share this concern and believe that you can reduce its impact, our reusable products may interest you. We have opted to include in our stores products that replace disposable ones, products that help us to be consistent with a responsible and sustainable lifestyle. Each gesture can be an impact in favor of sustainability.

These are some of our proposals for reusable products like Bamboo Toilet Paper to help take care of our planet:

• Reusable bottles. You can fill them out and take them with you wherever you go. The use of a bottle prevents, each time you use it, that 9 grams of plastic contaminate the environment. Imagine that in a year you fill it 500 times ... it is almost 5 kilos of plastic. Imagine the impact it would have if your entire city did.
• Reusable cups. You can use these bamboo cups every time you buy a coffee to go. Waste caused by single-use products can be avoided.
• Bamboo straws. Straws are one of the most polluting elements and the European Union plans to ban them in 2021. This pack of washable straws, made of bamboo, is perfect to take with you anywhere as they come in a practical cover in a pack of two to share them.
• Cloth bags for shopping. We propose several bags to make the purchase. In addition to being comfortable and sustainable, they are beautiful and durable.
• Bamboo toothbrush. We have chosen a toothbrush made with bamboo because it is a good alternative to plastic toothbrushes, bamboo grows very fast, it is biodegradable and antibacterial, its cultivation is sustainable and we can obtain a quality product with the assurance that we protect the environment.

The management of plastic waste is undoubtedly a problem with a great environmental and economic impact, and on people's health.

Less than 30% of plastic waste is recycled; the vast majority of food packaging is single-use, which generates a 95% loss of value.

In reference to materials in contact with food, the study indicates that plastics can pose health risks, due to the migration of chemical particles. They point out the need for studies to understand the health impacts of these chemical transfers.

On the objectives of reducing food waste and plastics, the study makes recommendations for action that go through:

• Introduce systemic changes throughout the food system.
• Legislation is recommended to address this double challenge that is part of the Circular Economy package.
• It calls for the integration of political measures, national and local strategies.
• Reduce the use of single-use plastic packaging through reduction targets.
• Identify measures for the implementation of reusable packaging throughout the food supply chain.
• Encourage the ecological design of plastic packaging.
• Regulate the excessive use of packaging that does not reduce food waste and increases that of plastics.
• Facilitate investment and financing to support infrastructure with zero packaging and recyclable packaging.

In conclusion, the study points to plastic packaging as inefficiency in the European food system, as it has not provided a solution to reducing food waste. On the contrary, the data indicates the increase in food and plastic waste, as well as the increase in the use of difficult-to-recycle plastic materials and single-use plastic packaging.

It remains to be seen to what extent the European Commission will take into account the recommendations of the European environmental lobby to legislate in favor of the reduction of plastic and food waste.