People all around the globe are celebrating World Environment Day today, the day was founded by the United Nation in order to spread worldwide awareness and action for the protection of our environment from the challenges the world is facing and measures to ensure saving the environment from further damage.

Every year the World Environment Day is focused around a core theme that draws attention on a particular environmental threat. The theme for this year is on beating plastic pollution. As plastic has long been a threat to the environment, human health and animal lives. BPA (bisphenol A) is a life-threatening chemical used to make plastic products. Heating/cooking food in these vessels increase the amount of BPA that gets into our food, resulting in many ailments. If disposed of improperly, plastic can ruin the soil quality, further degrading the environment. We all use plastic in one way or the other, but most commonly we use it in our kitchens.

From bags to plastic water bottles and plastic tiffin boxes, we are harming our health and the environment. Here’s how we can begin to stop using plastic, starting from one of the most common places in the house, our kitchens:

1. Get rid of the plastic water bottles.

We all are familiar with plastic water bottles lined up in our refrigerators; however, what we are not aware of are the harmful effects that might lead to health issues in the longer run. These plastic bottles have harmful chemicals that interfere with the hormones in the body. Chemicals in the plastic can leach into the bottle, especially when exposed to heat or become too old to use.

2. Ban use plastic tiffin-boxes and containers.

We are in habit to store most of our leftover food in plastic containers, or even use to store other eatables in them. Also, we pack lunch for kids in plastic tiffin boxes. Chemicals that are used to make plastic containers harm our body and cause dangerous health problems.

3. Phase out the plastic straws out.

The main reason to phase out straw is the presence of many chemicals like polypropylene and bisphenol A in them, which are harmful to human health. Also, it is intriguing that, while sipping beverages using a straw, the movement of the mouth area may encourage the breakdown of collagen and elasticity more quickly and easily, causing fine lines and wrinkles.

4. Get rid of plastic plates or cutlery.

Eating hot food using plastic plates and cutleries is said to increase the risk of kidney stones. The melamine exposures are said to lead to harmful effects in the body. Higher temperatures or more acidic foods may encourage melamine to contaminate food, especially if these are low-quality plates and cutleries.

5. Do not store plastic bags.

Indians have a habit to store plastic bags to use it for other purposes. However, plastic bags, when thrown away are said to disrupt the environment in a serious way. They get into the soil and slowly release toxic chemicals. They eventually break down in to the soil, with the result being that animals consume them and often choke and die. A plastic bag takes about 450 years to recycle.

This World Environment Day 2018, let’s pledge to not use anything plastic, starting today. In fact, let’s make people aware of the environmental problems and make our surroundings cleaner before it gets too late.