Use less plastic. Read our articles about plastic. Maybe you’ll learn something that will lead to less usages of plastic. Thank you :-)
First things first. Polyethylene (PE) is a type of plastic, but not all plastics are polyethylene.
PE cannot be used as much as plastic in general, because it has limited uses due to its different composition. Not only does it add damage to the already worsening case of plastic pollution, it is also proven toxic to humans.
The 7 types of plastic we commonly use today are: (1) Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET or PETE or Polyester), (2) High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE), (3) Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), (4) Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE), (5) Polypropylene (PP), (6) Polystyrene (PS), and (7) Others–which include fiberglass, acrylic, nylon, and styrene, among others.
Hard plastic, scientifically identified as High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE), is probably the most common type of plastic we see in our household. It is used for shampoo bottles, grocery bags, and milk containers, among others. Though versatile and flexible, hard plastic is one of the most complicated types of plastic.
From the feel and the smell, you can easily tell if something is made of plastic. With its distinct smell and a light feel, one could tell plastic apart from other materials. However, when in doubt, there are also more technical ways of identifying whether or not something is made of plastic.
Due to an increasing call for society to eliminate plastic usage for many years now, more and more countries have started implementing measures to lessen our dependence on plastic products.
We can only stop producing plastic when we finally stop using it. The world has grown so dependent on plastics, that we are now facing a global problem when it comes to proper waste disposal. Getting rid of plastic seems impossible, but there could still be a way to do it.