Reduce

The word "Reduce" implies minimize and avoid.  In our daily life, we can minimize and avoid many wastes, like plastic bag and plastic foam.  As a city grows, people's life is  becoming more comfortable.  At the same time, it is also becoming more wasteful.  Everyday, everyone uses up 3.8 plastic bags, according to the survey conducted by the Conservancy Association.  It means that 25.84 million plastic bags are used everyday.  And, in 1999, 107 tonnes of plastic foam products were disposed of at landfills everyday, of which 86 tonnes were disposable food or drink containers.  Both plastic bag and plastic foam cannot be recycled, so they can only be disposed at landfills.  But it doesn't mean solving the problem, as both plastic bag and foam are not easily and readily degradable.  When buried in land, the release of their toxic substances may cause land contamination, and harmful to both wildlife and even our next generations.  

In fact, do we need to use so many plastic bags and foams everyday?  If everyone can use one less plastic bag and foam everyday, it will be a big help to alleviate the pressure on our landfills.  For example, do we really need newspaper bag?  In the past, we also did not have newspaper bag.  Why can't we now?  Moreover, when going out, we can bring our own shopping bag, so-called Bring Your Own Bag (BYOB).  I get used to doing this, and I don't find any bothering to me.  In contrast, I find a great advantage as I don't need to handle the plastic bag(s) after shopping.  I am sure that nearly every household must have a particular drawer for storing used plastic bags, and getting it more and more crowded.  As the drawer is full, the easiest and most direct way is to throw the plastic bags away.  But have you thought that what will be happening then?  As mentioned, disposal of plastic bags is not the end of the problem.  Try to be a responsible consumer, BYOB will be a good start.  If find it too troublesome, you can try to use as few plastic bag as possible.  For example, after getting a bag from one shop, you can avoid getting another one when you keep on buying in another shop.  Then you will be able to use one less bag.   

The city life in Hong Kong is so fast and busy.  People try best to grasp every second and minute.  During lunch-time, it is not unusual to find many people carrying a plastic foam of take-away food and drink from fast food outlets and restaurants.  It does not only generates huge amount of plastic waste everyday, it is also unhealthy to our life.  Having a green life, we can try to pack our own lunch.  Try to minimize buying take-away food, and avoid dining out at fast food shops and restaurants using disposable food or drink containers.  

Of course, in our daily life, there are still many other things we can do to minimize waste generation, like replacing tissue by handkerchief, using less paper, and etc.  Let's find out our own way, which suits our own life pattern, to REDUCE waste.  I have designed my own one already, how about you?