Expert advice on how to get single-use plastic out of your life

BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) - May 25 is International Plastic Free Day, a time to raise awareness about plastic pollution and find ways to avoid single-use plastics.

According to the Northeast Resource Recovery Association, the average American household produces 1.5 lbs. of plastic per day. But there are ways to minimize that, like switching to reusable water bottles, opting for reusable cutlery and containers when getting take-out, and buying groceries without plastic packaging.

For instances where you can’t cut down, the NRRA says you can rest assured that plastic put in the recycling bin does get put to good use.

“I think a lot of people hear that most plastics are not being recycled and so they wonder why they should bother. But it’s actually true that if you’re recycling the types of plastics that your community recycling program says that you can recycle, you can be guaranteed that virtually all of that material is going to actually be recycled,” said Reagan Bissonnette, the executive director of the Northeast Resource Recovery Association.

Watch the video to see our Elissa Borden’s full conversation with Reagan Bissonnette.

While reusable nonplastic products are best, heavy-duty plastics you can use again are a good alternative, too.

Compostable utensils and containers actually aren’t so good as they need commercial processing to break down.

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