Are you ready to start taking your plastic and foam-free journey a little more seriously? Well, with the winter weather around the corner, spending your days indoors curling up with a good book on the subject matter seems to be the next step. There are quite a few books on plastic and foam waste, the impacts on the environment, and even how you can transition to zero waste. Get serious about finding more ways you can reduce your plastic and polystyrene foam waste. Whether it’s in your kitchen, bathroom, on a road trip, or when giving gifts, we’ve compiled a list of some of the top books on the subject. Read on to discover some here:
In this read, Pulitzer Prize journalist Edward Humes explores and investigates America’s trash consumption. Learn about how we manage to create so much and how people and nations are finding their way back from waste and even profiting from it. The book reveals what we throw away and where our society is headed. Learn how ordinary people can change their waste habits to reduce environmental harm.
In this practical book, popular blogger, Kathryn Kellogg discusses the importance of reducing plastic and polystyrene foam waste while giving helpful tips (101 to be exact) that will have you swapping everything from your single-use plastic water bottles to your plastic razors. Her DIY recipes for cleaning and beauty products will also have you buying fewer home products in single-use plastic jugs and containers. This book is a great read if you want to slowly start swapping plastic and foam around your home for more sustainable, reusable options.
Similar to 101 Ways To Go Zero Waste, Author Will McCallum explores the harmful effects of single-use plastic waste and provides practical tips. The book is an accessible guide that will help you make small changes that can make a big difference. Some of McCallum’s tips include replacing your regular shampoo bottle with a package-free shampoo bar, how to lobby your local supermarkets to carry less plastic and foam packaging, and how to ask friends to join you in the plastic-free movement. This is another practical guide that will have you reducing your plastic and foam waste in your day-to-day life.
At just 18 years old, Hannah Testa is a sustainability advocate, international speaker, and founder of Hannah4Change, an organization dedicated to fighting issues that harm the planet. She has worked with politicians to successfully approve legislation to protect the earth’s oceans by banning single-use plastic straws and bags. She has also worked as part of a global coalition of NGOs to influence Starbucks to develop a more sustainable coffee cup. In her new book, Taking On The Plastics Crisis, Hannah gives straightforward advice on how to get involved in the global movement to eliminate single-use plastics.
Using scientific studies and economic data from the United States, China, and Australia, Susan Freinkel provides the tools we need to evaluate and reduce our plastic consumption. The book is interestingly told through eight plastic objects: comb, chair, Frisbee, IV drip bag, disposable lighter, grocery bag, soft-drink bottle and credit card. The book reiterates that we cannot continue on the path we are on with single-use plastic and we must ask corporations to make a change.
These are five titles to start reading and have you thinking about how you can further make a change in your day-to-day life and reduce your plastic and polystyrene waste. Check your local library to borrow one of these or find them as an e-book or audiobook to reduce waste even further! Looking for more, these titles also came up in our search: Plastic Free by Beth Terry and Plastic Ocean by Charles Moore.
Ready to make a change? Check out our downloadable checklists, letter templates for the local newspaper, and email templates to send to supermarkets. Together, we can make a difference by advocating for change.
Have you read any of these books? We’d love to hear about your plastic and foam-free journey. Share with us at @ditchplasticpackaging or by using #DitchPlasticPackaging.
