Canada hit a milestone last year with its single-use plastics ban, the government announcing it would ban items, such as plastic cutlery and cotton-swab sticks, that often end up littered in waterways. This is one sign people in this country are increasingly thinking about the things they buy as having a direct impact on the planet, and companies and governments are responding accordingly. Reflection is essential to finding the best ways to move forward. This is true of business, and also in evaluating the way we live our day-to-day lives. What did we learn in 2019 that we can use to be less wasteful, more conscious in the way we shop, and make a positive impact on the planet and people around us in 2020? Now is the time for you as individuals, businesses, and communities to make your voice heard and vote with your dollar for a greener future. A current “at best” estimate for plastics recycled in Canada holding at only 10% is just one reason to make a change, but there are so many ways you can make a difference this year.

Plan ahead

There is no such thing as waste—only misplaced resources! Using our time and energy in ways that allow us to better track the things we buy, own, use, and discard ensures we get the most out of our products with more than one use. A simple way to tighten the cycle starts before you even arrive at the store. How many times have you shopped without a reusable bag? It is something we have all forgotten at one time or another. An easy resolution solution is to keep a bag (or two) in the car, at work, hanging by your door. That way, should you forget your tote in one place, you’re covered in another. Planning for what you intend to buy is even more important. Using food and beverage as an example, overbuying takes items from checkout to the trash when they could have been consumed by someone else! Create a list and map out meals for the week; impulse buying will reduce trash, and you’ll save money. This type of planning also saves you time, which this year you can dedicate to events and causes committed to the environment. A Greener Future’s own event, The Butt Blitz, is held annually in the spring for volunteers to pick up cigarette litter at local events to send to TerraCycle for recycling. Put it in your calendar; in 2019, the events yielded over 285,000 butts for over 1 million pieces removed from ecosystems across the country since their launch.

Buy durable

With the holidays still top-of-mind, think: How mindful and thoughtful were you with your shopping? Did you think about the person and how this object might have an impact on their lives, or allow them to make an impact? A durable water bottle, for example, eliminates 1,460 single-use plastic bottles per year. Even if you have “difficult” people to shop for, giving the gift of durability is one everyone will appreciate. Durable items “cycle” around in our lives because they can be used again and again, where single-use items made to be disposable are only used once. The metal eating utensils and ceramic plates we have at home stick around longer than the plastic ones that come with our fast food, and reusable rags can be washed while paper gets thrown away. TerraCycle teams up with sustainable brands to recycle municipally non-recyclable products and packaging so they continue to cycle and eliminate waste. In following our mission, we incubated Loop, a new circular shopping platform offering favourite brands in refillable packaging. It will launch in Canada May 2020 and you can reserve your spot in line here. With founding retail partner Loblaws, the country’s leading food and pharmacy leader, Loop will deliver food, beverages, and other household items from trusted brands in containers made with metal alloys, durable glass, and engineered plastics to your door in the iconic Loop Tote.

Bring Your Own (Or, Bring Someone Else’s)

Buying durable ties into planning ahead, as does the concept of BYO. This acronym is typically is associated with BYOB (beverage, beer, or bottle), but having the foresight to bring your own durables to your next party, restaurant outing, or house visit has the potential to cut back on the single-use items you consume this year. If you plan to eat out and know the positions may be large, bring a reusable container that won’t send another Styrofoam, aluminum, or waxed paper box into the trash. Keep a set of zero waste utensils and cloth napkins in your car for food truck festivals and other impromptu eating opportunities, and again, the simple act of toting a reusable water bottle and bag does away with thousands of pieces used once and thrown away. So much of what we do is for the sake of increasing our access to goods and services, which is why we use single-use plastic, buy new instead of borrowing, and take our cars everywhere instead of the bus. But in 2020, there are a number of platforms that have matured from infant disruptors into full-on mainstays you can use to not only live greener, but make life easier. Borrowing, sharing, repairing, and reuse age old-concepts that have been re-mainstreamed with reselling platforms like eBay and ThredUP, and Amazon also connects buyers to perfectly good secondhand items. AirBnb, VRBO, and Homeaway personalized the lodgings market, Lyft and carsharing apps ZipCar and Car-to-Go made not driving a car cool, and Rent the Runway has created access to high-value, designer digs the average consumer wouldn’t have at retail. ___ Using mismatched glassware as vases, upcycling empty plastic bottles into planters, and tending to a compost heap in your backyard are other projects you can take on in 2020. But the thing about reflection as a means to move forward is that it allows you to look at yourself in the present day and figure out what you can do, right now, to make a change. TerraCycle is here to help you continue to eliminate waste in your life in 2020. If you have questions about how to make changes work for you, the answers will always come down to one simple thing: consume differently. Through this lens, creating a greener future can be easier and more sustainable than you think.