Here we are almost at the end of another year. Like many of you, over the last few days I have been reflecting on the year that is ending. I have also been thinking about what I want to accomplish next year.

At the beginning of 2019, I set a goal to eliminate single-use plastic as much as possible. I have made a lot of progress but what has been most surprising is that, once I started to look for ways to reduce plastic, I became much more aware of other kinds of waste.

Inventory of my impact

As I was reflecting on the year that is ending, I did a quick inventory of the impact of the changes that I have made this year and how much waste I have reduced. I was shocked when it added up to over 3,600 items.

Here’s the lowdown of the items:

• 1,440 plastic bags
• 264 plastic bottles
• 211 plastic containers
• 580 other plastic items
• 1,120 paper items (napkins, tissues, paper towels)

Keep in mind that my family never drank a lot of bottled water, nor did we buy takeout coffee or tea on a regular basis. If we did, these numbers would be much higher.

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You can make an impact!

I often hear people say that one person can’t make an impact. If my family can reduce over 3,600 pieces of waste in a year just by making some simple changes, imagine what you could do! Even better, think of the impact if everyone made the same effort. In Canada alone, it could easily add up to over 52 billion items.

The interesting thing is, none of these changes were difficult. It’s all about being aware and thoughtful about the products we use.

As the year draws to a close, I want to thank you for taking the time to read my posts. Look for my first post of the new year, where we’ll start 2020 with a challenge.