Going without, not in the sense that you cannot have nor afford these things (however this can be the case for some people) but in that there are simply just some things that we receive or purchase that we simply do not need. My going without series will be about a basic item or idea that we need to be rid of, refuse, donate, or regift for the sake of the environment, decluttering our homes, and peace of mind.
Straws
Straws are one of the biggest unnecessary culprits that we could simply just do without. They are not a very recyclable resource, due to their size mostly– unfortunately small items like straws wind up falling through the cracks(literally) in recycling facilities, often being missed by the conveyor belts while being sorted.
They are also a major threat to wildlife being one of the top five items being found on our shores during coastal cleanups. Every day we use approximately 500,000,000 straws (that’s enough to fill about 46,400 school buses per year) so what better reason to cut our the habit out and just say no to straws?
For those that can’t go without– be it for health reasons or just out of habit, try a more eco friendly straw– washable glass, wood, or metal straws can be bought and brought to restaurants or used at home and reused. The stores that I found had straws in stock at their Brandon locations according to their websites were Bulk Barn (metal), Walmart (silicone). As well as Amazon or Etsy if all the local options are exhausted.
Zero Waste / Eco-Friendly Brandon,MB 