Choose To Reuse!

Moab, UT: Over the past year, the most common piece of trash that we have found outside is the single use plastic water bottle.This seemingly harmless bottle quickly turns in to 3 pieces of trash – the bottle itself, the label, and the cap. Tiny pieces of plastic like the cap and ring can choke wildlife, while the larger pieces leave behind unsightly social impacts. The plastic also take centuries to decompose, leaving an impact on our public land and watersheds for generations.

Cumulatively, Americans use over 50 billion single use-plastic water bottles a year, almost 167 bottles per person. 38 billion bottles end up in the landfill each year. End to end, they would circle the equator 217 times! Making these bottles also uses around 20 million barrels of oil and creates more than 2.5 tons of Carbon dioxide. 

Here are a few simple things that you can do to help reduce your single use plastic consumption and help Leave No Trace! 

1. Invest in a reusable water bottle. We love Klean Kanteen's sleek designs and solution oriented mission. Keeping a full 5 gallon water jug in your car is another great way to ensure that you will always have access to enough clean drinking water.

2. Take a cue from thru-hikers and reuse your single-use bottle rather than tossing it immediately. Thru hikers often use plastic bottles because they are super light weight, but their durability helps them last for weeks on the trail. 

3. Pack it in, pack it out. Adventure with a backpack so it's easier to pack your trash out! 

4. Plan Ahead and Prepare so that you know where you can access potable water during your adventure. Many parks have stations where you can fill your bottle or water jug before you leave. Bringing along a water filter is also a great way to refill along the trail. 

5. Recycle your bottles after using them. When these bottles are recycled, they are then used to make sleeping bags, shoes, playground equipment, park benches, and other plastic containers!  

Thanks for always protecting our public lands and favorite spaces by always practicing Leave No Trace! 

Have Fun.  Be Safe.  Leave No Trace.

Leave No Trace’s Alex Roberts and Emy Gelb are part of the 2017 Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainer Program that provides free, mobile education to communities across the country. Proud partners of this program include Subaru of America, REI, Fjallraven, ENO, Deuter, Thule, Taxa Outdoors and SmartWool.