Killer Laundry Jugs? Seriously?
Many common plastics can take 500-1000 years to fully break down
Plastic pollution at the beach
Who doesn’t love a fun and relaxing day at the beach? It’s a great way to enjoy the outdoors with friends and family while soaking up some sun. There’s a reason why beaches are some of our most loved vacation and retreat spots – they’re beautiful! But it might surprise you to learn what’s floating beyond these picturesque shorelines.
When you think about the ocean, you probably picture something like this… Hot sand, warm sunshine, and clear waters – a wonderful place to spend time with your loved ones.
What you don’t see, miles beyond the shore is the devastating amount of pollution. putting marine life at risk and damaging the Earth’s delicate ecosystem.
The truth about the amount of waste in our oceans is shocking. We’ve uncovered some very unfortunate statistics on the impact of plastic pollution in our oceans.
DID YOU KNOW…?
- 260 MILLION TONS of plastic is produced in the world each year – 10% of which ends up in our oceans.
- Americans throw away an average of 35 BILLION plastic water bottles each year.
- While the average water bottle takes 450 years to degrade, many common plastics can take 500-1000 years to fully break down.
- Enough plastic is thrown away every year to circle the Earth 4X.
- Half of the plastic we use is disposed of after a single-use.
- Plastic chemicals can be absorbed by our bodies. In fact, it’s been found that 93% of Americans over the age of 6 have tested positive for BPA.
- Every year, 1 MILLION seabirds and 100,000 marine animals lose their lives to ocean pollution.
- Most conventional laundry product jugs don’t always get recycled? That’s because most recycling companies can’t get the suds-making chemicals off of the plastic effectively in order to recycle those containers. So, a lot of them end up in the trash or in our oceans.
Your Laundry Jug Is Harmful!
Before you go and purchase another bottle of laundry product, I want to encourage you to be mindful of your buying decisions. Please think about the effect your decisions have on our environment and the creatures that inhabit it with us.
Please watch how harmful our waste can actually be to our environment by viewing Chris Jordan’s short film on pollution on Midway Island. (Warning: some images are graphic and disturbing)
We NEED to do better.
The future of our planet depends on it.
While reusing the same laundry jug may seem like a minor step, the collective result is incredible. This year alone, Truly Free members have saved over 316,997 laundry jugs from being discarded – and that number is growing every day!
In addition to cutting down on unnecessary plastic by using our refillable jugs, all Truly Free refill pouches are #4 recyclable.
Your laundry and cleaning products are just the beginning
10 SUPER SIMPLE ways to reduce plastic waste
- Stop using plastic grocery bags! Reusable grocery totes are affordable, durable, and much friendlier for the environment
- Buy boxes instead of bottles whenever possible (They even make boxed water now!)
- Better yet – stop buying bottled water altogether
- Trade out your disposable products – like razors and straws – for reusable versions
- When you get takeout, ask that they DON’T include plastic cutlery
- Use cloth diapers! (We’ve got a whole post on cleaning these bad boys)
- Instead of buying bottled juice, opt for fresh-squeezed. It’s better for you and the planet!
- Ditch the gum. (It’s made from synthetic rubber/plastic)
- Whenever possible, shop for your groceries in bulk bins with reusable containers. This way, you’ll use the same jar or container over and over, creating less waste
- Always drink your coffee from reusable mugs – whether you’re at home or your favorite café
As you can see, our days are full of opportunities to reduce our carbon footprint. It’s our responsibility as citizens of this world to make it a safe and thriving place to live. At Truly Free, we’re on a mission to leave this planet better than we found it.
So tell us – what are some of YOUR favorite ways to reduce plastic waste?
Leave us a comment below! We’d love to hear your tips.
Sources:
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I wish when I had received my first Truly Free order, I would have received a bottle that looked half this good. Mine didn’t come with a spout or a handle. I believe there may have been some supply chain issues, but I hope they can send along a better bottle for their products. This one is slick and hard to hang onto, doesn’t pour very well, and doesn’t look like it’s going to last very long. I enjoy the products so far, just not the bottles.
Hi! Thank you for reaching out, we are sorry to hear you did not get the note in your box explaining this. Unfortunately, we have been having some supply chain shortages which required us to implement temporary containers until we are able to get our original Signature Refillable jugs in stock. We chose to do this so we are able to ship out orders for our customers, but it looks like not everyone who got a temporary jug received the note explaining why. We can assure you that when our refillable jugs come, in all subscribers that received the temporary container will be sent the Signature Truly Free Refillable Jug! Thank you for your kindness as we work through these growing pains. <3