Reusable straws and bags have taken the world by storm. Some states have banned some plastic supplies to help stop polluting the earth and oceans which are full of plastic. People are hopping on the eco-friendly bandwagon and going plastic-free.

An example of this is people using reusable bags when grocery shopping. Reusable bags have been around since 1991 and are slowly dominating the scene. It’s only a matter of time before they completely take over. Many stores in America now have the option for customers to purchase reusable bags to use while they do their shopping.

Another reusable product people have turned to is reusable straws, whether it be metal or silicon. Reusable straws have also become somewhat of an internet trend, people telling others to go plastic free to ‘save the turtles.’ You can get reusable straws practically anywhere- Amazon, WalMart, Wish, etc.

Some people have also turned to reusable water bottles to limit their plastic use. Even around North, people have been using reusable water bottles.

Let’s all jump on the eco-friendly bandwagon and go plastic free to help save the oceans. Every year, nearly 8 million metric tons of plastic enters the ocean, and if we don’t do something now, in 10 years there could be 250 million metric tons of plastic in the ocean, so we all need to do our part to decrease these numbers. This includes us all doing our part and going around the school and properly recycling, not just throwing trash in the recycle bins. Another idea is that we could each go around our own community and pick up trash.

In order to go plastic free, Mrs. Turnbow, a teacher here at North uses reusable cups. She also has reusable silicon zip-lock bags, which are also washable, that she uses. Turnbow also uses reusable grocery bags. “I encourage people to bring a reusable container when going out to eat to take the extra food home and not use styrofoam,” said Turnbow. She is the head of the recycling program here at the school and tries to avoid single-use plastics. When she goes out, she doesn’t get a straw. However, she does like the reusable straws- she even has a few on her wishlist on Amazon.