Almost everything we have today is made of plastic – from car parts, packaging, toys, décor, electronics, and even furniture items have plastic components! 

With its overwhelming presence and usage, it is no wonder plastic waste is now a pressing concern for countries all over the world. 

Plastic pollution fast facts

• 300 million tons of plastic are produced each year
• 8 million tons of plastic are dumped into our oceans every year
• Over 90% of seabirds have plastic in their stomachs

While plastic does offer a lot of convenience, it has also cultivated today’s disposable culture. And this is a huge environmental problem since plastic can take up to 1000 years to decompose. The only thing we can do to prevent it from taking over our oceans is to reduce our dependence on using plastic materials. On this blog, let us give you some tips on how you can cut down on your plastic use:

Did you know that Canadians consume around 14 million cups of coffee a year? And 30% of that is consumed on the go. Disposable coffee cups contain polyethylene plastics, and its plastic lid makes it non-recyclable. Just imagine the amount of plastic waste we are contributing to our landfills by using single-use coffee cups each year. The best way to reduce this is to avoid a single-use cup altogether. Make a conscious effort of bringing your reusable coffee cup when grabbing one from your favourite coffee shop. 

In the United States, it is estimated that around 40 billion plastic utensils go to waste each year. We see plastic spoons and forks almost everywhere. Whether you are dining in or ordering takeout, refuse plastic cutlery, and opt to bring your own reusable cutlery instead. 

When it comes to its effect on our environment, there is no other way to say it but plastic straws, suck. Plastic straws are a common fixture in our restaurant stops, but did you know that they could take up to 200 years to decompose? Say to no single-use plastic straws and invest in a reusable and more eco-friendly steel or bamboo straw instead. 

Cling wrap is a common fixture for most kitchens to store food, but it is not recyclable. Reduce your cling wrap use by using reusable airtight containers or replace it with environment-friendly alternatives such as wax wraps or silicon food covers.  

Plastic bottles are one of the most common water pollutants we have today. Reduce your plastic bottle use by bringing your own water bottle, or better yet – invest in a water filter at home. 

Instead of buying packs of bottled water for your home, cut down on your plastic bottle use by installing a water filtration system like IVO! Not only is it more eco-friendly but having your own water filter can also be cheaper and more affordable in the long run. 

With its advanced 4-stage filtration process featuring medical-grade hollow fiber membrane, IVO filters out rust, sediments, residual chlorine and other chemicals, including microorganisms and microscopic impurities as little as 0.1 micron. This much filtration power is available in a 1500L cartridge that can replace 3,000 500-ml plastic bottles of water or 79 5-gallon plastic jugs!

Get your IVO Water Purifier now at www.ivotechnologies.com. 

IVO's advanced hollow fiber membrane technology has passed NSF/ANSI/CAN 42 standards and is fully NSF-certified. Filters have been tested according to Japanese Industrial Standards (JIS) S3201.

IVO is manufactured by Toray Industries, makers of Torayvino, the number 1 faucet-mounted water purifier in Japan.