The average UAE resident uses around 450 plastic water bottles every year.

Added to that, single-use plastic is all too common in this country, with food delivery, packaging for mail, wrappers, drinks, and the like.

And the ocean is absolutely flooded with plastic – it’s a global crisis.

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But you can take steps to reduce your plastic consumption, with these 10 tips.

1. Reduce your usage

Simple, yet effective.

Decline that plastic cutlery with your deliveries, avoid plastic wherever you can, and cut down on your single-use plastic consumption by just saying ‘no thanks’ when you can.

2. Recycle your plastics

Yes, it’s obvious, but it’s estimated that 96% of the UAE’s water bottles DON’T get recycled.

There’s a cool new app, called Bee’ah, that has recycling units around the city that REWARDS you for disposing of your recyclables into its units.

Collect your plastic bottles and cans, download the app and get recycling!

3. Join the #StopSucking campaign

The UAE has been swept up in the #StopSucking campaign – to outlaw plastic straws in UAE restos.

The Jumeirah Restaurant Group, along with Freedom Pizza, BASTA, and more have stated they won’t be offering plastic straws any more – so get behind it and #StopSucking with single-use plastic straws.

4. Use a water filter instead of bottles

The World Health Organisation has rated Dubai’s drinking water as totally safe – so we don’t really need water bottles.

If you still don’t feel confident in the tap water, then get a water filter on the taps, rather than buying water.

Easy.

5. Say no to plastic bags at the supermarket

Do you even really need them? Take your own reusable shopping bags, or go without if you can carry it without a bag. The less plastic bags, the better!

Shout out to supermarkets using paper bags too – every step counts.

6. Use a reusable coffee cup

Bring your own coffee cup to cafes for takeaway, rather than creating more trash with the disposable takeaway cups. The lids are single-use plastic and do you really need it? Opt for your own cup and save waste!

You can get Keep Cups by Sea Shepherd at Myocum Dubai.

7. Buy in bulk

The bigger the bulk, the less packaging you’ll use. Think about it, packaging reaches insanity heights sometimes here, with tiny-use packages, bottles, wrappers. Buy bigger, and buy smart at the supermarket to reduce your plastic output.

8. Boycott microbeads

These tiny little balls of plastic, commonly found in face-wash, are littering the ocean, for no good reason.

The plastic beads are not biodegradable, and when you wash them off your face, they go straight down the drain and end up in the oceans. You don’t need them – opt for more natural alternatives like sugar or salt scrubs.

9. Run for the Oceans

Join the adidas and Parley ‘Run for the Oceans’ campaign.

Parley is a not-for-profit group helping to prevent plastic from entering the oceans and adidas wants to help. Download the Runtastic app, and for every kilometre you run, adidas will donate one US dollar to Parley – the more you run, the better!

10. Put your money where your mouth is

Support companies that are behind this cause – the best way to communicate your values is through ensuring you are conscious about buying recycled or reusable products.

Companies like adidas partnering with Parley are steps in the right direction toward cleaner oceans. Particularly with the new Parley UltraBOOST sneakers – that are made with up to 11 plastic bottles that were intercepted before ending the oceans.

Support companies that support the environment.

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