If you've ever had something shipped to you that needed to stay frozen or icy cold, it probably came with frozen gel packs. The blue liquid "gel" inside the packs can be kept frozen, and the packs can be reused over and over again in a cooler for your picnic, for example. But if you want to get rid of the packs, go ahead and let them thaw. Open the packets with scissors, and let the liquid go down the drain. It's completely nontoxic. The empty plastic pouches can be recycled with plastic shopping bags at grocery stores.

If you do just one thing, give up disposable plastic straws. Not only are they unnecessary, they are an environmental menace. According to the website choosetobestrawfree.com, over 500 million plastic straws are produced every single day, with a large majority of them ending up in landfills and oceans. Every year, over 1 million seabirds and 100,000 marine mammals ingest the plastic. At restaurants, refuse straws, opt out of disposable silverware and invest in reusable cups with built-in straws for your iced coffee drinks.

While plastic Easter eggs may not be the most eco-friendly invention, they are something that many kids love to search for in the backyard. But while it may seem eco-friendly to buy secondhand eggs from a thrift store, you might want to think twice. In 2008, a study was done on randomly purchased plastic eggs, and many of the eggs had high levels of lead. Since you can't tell if the lightly used eggs you buy have lead or not, they could pose a health risk. If you do buy used plastic eggs, fill them with wrapped candy. Better yet, just dye real eggs using natural dyes. Whenever you can go plastic-free, it's better for the environment.