Just The 2 of Us

This Summer when you go to the beach, collect just two pieces of litter and spread the love. Just the two of us can make a difference, two pieces at a time.

But cleaning our beaches is not enough. We need to fight pollution at its source.

Plastic pollution is a serious issue, both on land and in the ocean. To solve it we need to act now. Sciaena is working together with many stakeholders to find solutions. But there is also a lot each one of us can do.

What you can do to fight pollution:

1^st Refuse – your daily choices of consumption play a big role in avoiding pollution. When buying groceries, you can opt for sustainable packaging and refuse plastic bags. Coming prepared is the first step to avoid buying these single-use items so be sure to take your reusable bags and containers with you.

2^nd Reduce – plastic is a comfort, not a necessity. Reducing your plastic intake is an effective measure to avoid waste. Once again, it is your choice if you want to buy something wrapped in plastic or not, and that choice can make a world of a difference. As of July of 2021, single-use plastics are forbidden to be put on the market. However, if the choice is still presented to you, you can refuse. Remember, plastic cups, plastic bags, disposable cutlery, and straws are oftentimes not needed.

Here are some examples of simple swaps you can make today:

• Swap plastic cups for reusable bottles or even traditional old school glass cups
• Swap plastic bags for reusable bags – they are reusable and oftentimes have cool designs
• Swap disposable cutlery for reusable cutlery you can take on the go made from bamboo and even stainless steel

And why not ditching the straws and cotton buds altogether? If that is not an option, you have alternatives such as paper, stainless steel, glass, and even pasta straws, and as of 2019, there are now reusable cotton buds on the market.

Get some more inspiration here, here, here, and with Movimento83

3^rd Rethink – rethink your relationship with plastic and single-use items overall. How you see your own waste will be key to identify patterns of consumption. If you see these materials as garbage, maybe it is time to shift your mindset. If you look closely at some of the things you now consider garbage you will find, most of the times, a new utility for them.

4^th Reuse – plastic is a very malleable and versatile material. Something as simple as a plastic umbrella might be revamped into a new coat, find out more about this here. Moreover, plastic can be used to create art to inform others about the impacts of plastic pollution on wildlife, see here.

But it does not end there. Plastic has endless potential to be reused. Find out more about the Há Mar e Mar campaign here

5^th React  – our voice can be our biggest weapon. You can learn more and download the Break Free From Plastic brand audit toolkit here, to hold companies accountable for their plastic waste.

Moreover, you can sign the petition to demand the implementation of a deposit system!

6^th Recycle – sort out your waste correctly, most labels have some type of information about the correct way to dispose of such material. Pay attention to the international symbol for recyclable materials. Do not buy things that are unrecyclable.

 With these simple steps, you too can make a difference!