Many items in today's world are constructed using plastic, but this durable material has been incorporated into many items intended to have a single or limited use. Examples of this are coffee cups, toothbrushes, plastic bags, cutlery, water bottles, milk cartons and so on. However, although we often hear about it, we rarely hear about how to combat this growing problem. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay What can we do? Handkerchiefs instead of handkerchiefs. Woven cloths instead of paper towels. Glass or stainless steel containers over plastic pots. Steel or glass water bottles over plastic water bottles. Bamboo toothbrush instead of plastic toothbrushes. Reusable bags (Uniqlo offers bags made of 9 plastic bottles) as replacements for plastic bags. Use Ecosia as your search engine, plant trees using ad revenue every time you search the web Steel or acrylic straws instead of plastic straws Double-sided printing to save trees ☺ Grab a reusable coffee cup when you go from Costa, Starbucks, etc. .There are some available at Starbucks for £1 and you get 25p of your drink. This means that with your fourth drink you will essentially get that cup for free and help our oceans. There are many other ways to reduce waste, these are just the basics. Where do we find these alternatives? Many of these items can be found in places like Holland and Barrett, but if you don't have access to one near you or can't find what you're looking for there are many websites that cater to zero waste enthusiasts. Some of these items are extremely cheap compared to normal everyday products. For example on AliExpress a bamboo toothbrush costs 40-50p, but if you look at Boots, two plastic toothbrushes can cost you £9. 00! Lush is a very vocal company when it comes to waste. They are taking action in many ways, for example after using six pots you bring them to receive a free face mask. And the vases are returned to the factory to be made into the aprons they use. They also combat the packaging problem by producing packaging-free shampoos, soaps, body washes and more. But what's amazing is that you can start saving the planet by making your own natural remedies for things like colds instead of reaching straight for a pack of pills. There are also ways to make cosmetics, lotions, scrubs, and even deodorants. This shows that with a little time and effort it is possible to give something back to planet Earth.