Grabbing a plastic bag for groceries or a go-to mug for coffee may not seem like much to you, but it’s a big to deal to the environment, especially when billions of people feel the same way. Plastic isn’t degradable and ends up being dumped in our oceans and burned in landfills, affecting the quality of air and life in the water. It may not seem easy to bring plastic usage to a halt but it’s necessary. These eight ways can help you reduce the usage of plastic and hopefully, someday completely stop it.

1. The most well-known way is by turning down plastic bags and instead, using your own cloth or canvas tote. Sometimes, plastic bags cost extra too and over time, your own bag will prevent the cost and plastic usage from adding up.

2. It can seem easier to swing by the supermarket and pick up vegetables and fruits in plastic boxes but that isn’t the best idea. Loose, local produce is fresh and often cheaper so make this your pick.

3. Every time you eat out or have food delivered home, ask your server to skip the disposable cutlery which, after one use, will only end up in the bin. Carry your own fork and spoon when dining out, which is smarter alternative.

4. Shaving is an excellent form of hair removal but not when you use a disposable razor. Replace yours with a sturdy reusable razor and cartridges, which you can keep on using instead of simply tossing in the trash after one use.

5. Plastic straws may seem trivial but they are single use items that collectively add up to millions of tonnes of waste over time. The next time you are served a beverage in a restaurant, ask for a paper or metal straw. Even better, skip the straw entirely and drink from the side of the glass as you normally would.

6. Consider using a reusable cup for your next period. Even if it isn’t on all the days of your menses, it will greatly eliminate the amount of plastic packaging that pads and tampons often come in.

7. Don’t keep grabbing plastic water bottles and coffee cups every time you feel thirsty. Make it a practice to keep a reusable bottle or themos in your bag to have it filled at your water dispenser. You can even ask coffee shops to fill your drink order in your mug.

8. Something as small as microbeads in your face scrub can add up to so much of plastic waste that gets dumped in the ocean. To stop this from happening, make it a habit to purchase products that use biodegradable alternative likes shells and beans to scrub the skin.