We live in a world that is literally molded in plastic, from beverage and food containers to toys, cell phones, computers, bags and a range of household items. It is everywhere and unfortunately seems to be going nowhere. Not only is plastic non-biodegradable, it is also one of the most toxic pollutants in the world and causes damage to the environment, right from its production to its disposal. In addition, plastics are manufactured using chemicals like Bisphenol-A and Phthalates that can be dangerous to our health.
从饮料、食品容器到玩具、手机、电脑、包包和一系列的家居用品可见，我们的的确确生活在一个塑料所形成的世界。这些东西到处可见，不幸的是它好像无处可去。塑料不仅不可降解，还是世界上最毒的污染物之一，无论从其生产到处理，都对环境造成破坏。此外，塑料是人造化学物质，像双酚A和酞酸盐对我们的健康都有害。
Every year, trillions of plastic bags, billions of plastic bottles, appliances and cell phones are discarded; a large majority of these end up in landfills or the oceans, where they can take a thousand years to break down. In addition, marine trash, which mainly consists of plastic, currently kills more than a million seabirds and 100,000 mammals and sea turtles each year. We can all play a role in reducing our dependence on plastic, if we started to take some small steps in our everyday lives to be mindful of our plastic use.
每年，数万亿塑料袋，数十亿塑料瓶、电器和手机被丢弃；这些东西大部分被埋在垃圾堆或海洋里，需要数千年才能分解。此外，主要由塑料组成的海洋垃圾现已每年杀死了超过一百万只海鸟，十万种哺乳动物和海龟。如果我们开始在每天的生活中采取一些小措施来留意我们对塑料的使用，我们就可以在减少塑料依赖性中发挥作用。
Here are 5 simple tips on how you can learn to live with less plastic:
这里是关于如何使生活中减少塑料的5个简单技巧：
(恒星英语学习网原创编译,转载请注明出处!)
1. Carry reusable shopping bags
1. 携带环保购物袋
This may seem like the most obvious tip, but one look at people in grocery stores and shopping malls will remind you why this practice is far from being widely adopted. Make this easier for you by keeping a few reusable bags in your car, your handbag or briefcase.
这个看起来像是最明显的技巧，但是人们在百货商店和大型购物中心将提醒你为何这项措施难以被广泛采纳。在你车上、手提包或公文包里放一些环保购物袋，这使你更方便。
2. Don’t buy bottled water
2.不要买瓶装水
According to Food & Water Watch, plastic bottles produce 1.5 million tons of plastic waste per year and requires up to 47 million gallons of oil per year to produce. If you are concerned about water quality, invest in a home water filtration system. When you’re on the go, carry a reusable stainless steel bottle or travel mug that you can fill before leaving home and refill whenever you need to.
根据“食品和饮水观察”，塑料瓶每年产生150万吨塑料垃圾，而且每年需要4700万加仑的石油来生产。如果你考虑到水质，装个家庭水滤系统。当你在旅途中，带个环保的不锈钢保温瓶或者旅行杯，这样你可以在离开家前装上水并在你需要喝水的时候重新装上水。
3. Cook at home more often
3. 更常在家做饭
This is not only the healthier choice for you and your family, but can also significantly help to reduce the amount of plastic that enters your home. When you cook at home, you’re essentially avoiding the plastic packaging that comes with frozen meals as well as the plastic bags, plastic containers, plastic wrapped forks and knives and plastic sachets that takeout food and condiments come packaged in.
这不仅是你跟你家人一个更健康的选择，而且可以有效地帮助减少塑料进入你家。当你在家做饭时，你就基本上避免了冷冻食品及塑料袋，塑料容器，塑料包装刀叉，外卖食品和调味料包装的聚乙烯袋之类的塑料封装。
4. Compost Organic food waste
4. 有机废物堆肥
Home composting is a great way to reduce the amount of trash you produce on a daily basis, and thereby reduce the use of plastic trash bags. Composting your organic food scraps is the best way to return to mother earth the energy that went into preparing your food. Further, composting has several environmental benefits, ranging from drastically reducing the amount of solid waste that ends up in landfills each year to greenhouse gas reduction and soil enrichment.
家庭堆肥是一种减少每天产生的垃圾数量，从而减少对塑料垃圾袋的使用的好方法。有机食物残渣堆肥是一种使能量回归大地为食物的吸收做准备的最好方法。甚至，从大大减少每年埋在垃圾堆里的固体垃圾数量到降低二氧化碳和土壤富集而言，堆肥对环境也有好处。
5. Buy less stuff & Reuse what you have
5. 少买一点食物和重复使用你所拥有的东西
Again, this should seem obvious, but the less we consume, the less demand for products that are made of plastic and consequently, the less chances that plastic will end up in landfills and our oceans. Further, try and buy products that are of a higher quality, so that they last longer and reduce the need to be replaced in a few months or years. Lastly, no matter how hard you try to live with less plastic, you may not be able to avoid it completely. When you can’t refuse plastic, learn to reuse! Shopping bags, food containers, zip-lock bags and bottles don’t need to end up in your trash or recycling bin, but can be put to several creative uses.
这一点看起来又很明显了，只有我们消耗的越少，我们对塑料产品的需求就越少，因此，塑料被埋在垃圾堆和海里的机会也就越少。另外，尝试和购买质量更好的产品，以便它们可以用得更久而减少在数月或数年就需要更换。最后，无论你多想减少生活塑料，你不可能完全避免。当你不能拒绝塑料，学着再利用！购物袋、食品容器、自封袋和瓶子不可能在垃圾或回收站中完全消失，但是可以用作其他方面的创造性用途。
(恒星英语学习网原创编译,转载请注明出处!)