THE PROBLEM The issue is the excessive use of plastic in packaging when ordering online. Our planet is suffering from pollution and the overuse of plastic which isn’t biodegradable and stays on earth forever killing fish and impacting many ecosystems. A big part of this pollution comes from unsustainable packaging from many companies when they ship their items to customers. I have encountered this myself many times when I order a small item which arrives in many unnecessary plastic layers which I end up throwing away almost immediately. The internet is a perfect medium to address this problem as this is where the issue even begins. Companies need to become aware of the impact that they have on our planet and should consider including sustainable/biodegradable packaging. I also think that shoppers should focus on whether the company that they are ordering from has sustainable packaging and try as much as possible to only order from those companies. I know that many fast fashion websites only use plastic for their packaging which is a lot of waste since it cannot be reused. Overall, the internet is a great medium to inform people of this issue and hopefully start seeing change. S.M.A.R. T OBJECTIVES Specific: Stop buying from websites/brands that use plastic packaging. Achievable: Recycle all your plastic waste through companies such as Terracycle. Time: Encourage businesses to set goals to use sustainable packaging in the next 3 years.

SOLUTION IDEAS Reach out to companies and see if you can help them understand the issue and the impact that they have. Try and find companies who actually send plastic-free or biodegradable packaging and order from them. If you do receive plastic packaging, try and find a recycling bin instead of mixing it with other trash. Some websites offer sustainable packaging for a small increment in price so you can select that instead. Find ways to reuse the plastic. There are businesses that collect plastic and recycle it to make new items so, sending it to them would work i.e. Terracycle. Stop ordering from companies who use plastic all together. Shop in store and bring your own bags instead of getting the plastic one. Inform your friends and families of the issues with plastic packaging waste and encourage them to avoid ordering from companies who use it. The main solution in this case would be to try and avoid companies who use plastic packaging as they add to the problem. Websites that sell fast fashion usually try and sell their products as cheap as possible and so also use plastic for their packages. There are also many companies that are staring to sell refillable containers such as a refillable deodorant, detergents which is a great way to reduce packaging. For more information click here. Frana Ugarkovic takes full responsibility for the information posted. The information on this page represents that of Frana Ugarkovic and not that of California State University, Sacramento.