Summer is synonymous with sun, mountains, leisure and relaxation activities to enjoy your days off. In the midst of the Pandemic, outdoor activities in little-visited places is ideal. However, as well as seeking health and recreation, we must check that our consumption habits are respectful with the environment.
The heat and activities such as going to the beach, the mountains, or a park, increases the intake of drinks and other foods that are often distributed in disposable plastic. The result of this indiscriminate consumption of disposable containers made from materials that are harmful to health and the environment, is the direct impact on flora and fauna, and even on the water sources of the places visited.
Fortunately, SINAC issued the SINAC-DE-944-202 guideline, with which visitors will not be able to enter the Tico national parks with disposable tableware, bags or other single-use plastic products as of February 25.
This, according to the director of the Preserve Planet organization, Luis Diego Marín, “this guideline is a great boost for the protection of the environment, this, like the ban on plastic bags, is only the beginning of something that should be extended to the entire length and breadth of the national territory, if we really want to be the green country that we sell abroad,” he said.
Everyone’s problem
This is a problem that affects everyone and the only way to reduce its effects is from the source, reducing the consumption of these materials. Therefore, wherever people go during the summer, it is important to reject all kinds of disposable plastic containers and opt for more friendly alternatives. With this they will be effectively contributing to conserving the environment.
False Biodegradable
“Preserve Planet also calls on merchants near national parks to begin to consider new sustainable alternatives to reduce the sale of products in disposable packaging. We must also be vigilant, since in recent times options for the so-called “biodegradable” plastics have been introduced, which in reality do not work as they want us to believe. They do not degrade like a banana peel ”, indicated Luis Diego Marín.
So far there are no options capable of being degraded under natural conditions in the environment, they only do so under industrial and laboratory conditions, which do not exist in the country. Therefore, this type of plastics will only increase the amount of waste and create the false idea within consumers that they are “contributing” when they are not, far from this they are worsening the problem.
The Tica organization Preserve Planet gives 5 tips to reduce the use of plastic these days
Avoid packaged foods: Bring your own container or cloth bag for purchases.
Don’t buy disposable water bottles: More than 1 million plastic bottles are consumed every minute worldwide. Substitute a reusable bottle and filtered water.
Do not reuse plastic bottles: its toxic components can pass into the water.
Choose fresh products: Frozen produce a lot of plastic waste. Even “carton” packages can be covered with a thin layer of plastic.
Always choose glass bottles: When buying carbonated drinks, juices or sauces, prefer glass that is 100% recyclable. Even better if you get the returnable option, as it is reused over and over again without producing waste.
Do your shopping at the ecofairs: There you can buy seasonal fruits and vegetables without plastic packaging. You can carry your the problem.
Interesting point of view