The #stopsucking movement – which asks people to ditch straws for good – slowly but surely took hold of Dubai last year.

Freedom Pizza was one of the first big brands to both stop using straws and sending cutlery to customers. Soon after, the Jumeirah Restaurant Group banned unnecessary plastic and Starbucks recently made the shift too. And while it’s amazing to see big brands step up, it’s not enough.

We can’t applaud brands for taking these measures without making leaps ourselves.

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The #stopsucking movement makes you consider how much plastic we use daily – and it’s not pretty

You’ve ditched straws too, good for you. But now consider how much plastic you use daily.

Supermarket trips, bottled water, takeout, and, the cream of the crop, the packaging that comes with Souq and Amazon deliveries.

Search ‘Souq’ on Twitter and you’ll find countless tweets telling a story of shocking packaging practices – Souq can do better and so can we

Seriously @souq, all this packaging and such a big box for a small toy?? pic.twitter.com/s0SFMDoQ0n

— Krysia McKechnie (@KrysiaJ) April 8, 2018

If this doesn’t shock you…

I bought a single roll of wall stickers from @souq for delivery.
This is the packaging it came in! pic.twitter.com/Z6Z3NSPjbf

— Rob Willock (@RobWillock) July 31, 2017

Food spots are no better

See here how much plastic one of Dubai’s top fro-yo spots sends for a simple order

Parley is a group that raises awareness about destruction happening to our planet,

This year adidas partnered with them and together they created global awareness of the volume of waste washing up on shorelines across the globe

They shared footage of rubbish accumulating on some of the world’s most beautiful beaches leaving the world shocked

“South African oceans fast becoming biggest dumping site” https://t.co/jROFjwLrvG — via @SABCNewsOnline pic.twitter.com/qWFnbfeg82

— Parley (@parleyxxx) April 27, 2018

Your building may not have adequate recycling spots but that’s no excuse

Discarding trash is easy-peasy for most residents. Apartments come with handy chutes, and it’s easy to dump without considering the effects your daily dump (intended) is having on the environment.

But there are plenty of places to recycle in Dubai. From modern recycling centres that accept up to 16 different types of waste to places littered along Sheikh Zayed Road, here’s a list of 23 spots.

It’s the decisions you make on a daily basis that make the difference

Choose to ignore or make informed decisions daily. Get behind local homegrown companies who have made the decision to operate sustainably.

From schools, local food stores and fashion brands, you’ve got options to make sustainable choices. Here are 7 local brands you can check out here.

READ: 8 Hacks EVERY Dubai Resident Can Use to Live More Sustainably