Do Just One Thing

Two reasons to shop for groceries from local merchants and not big-box stores: You're supporting your local economy, and you'll likely cut back on single-use plastic. Supermarket chains have a practice of excessively wrapping their fresh produce in single-use plastic. It helps keep produce fresher longer and protects it from the hundreds of customers who handle the perishable products. Local stores are likely to use a lot less plastic, which gives you the option to stock up without the waste.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

It's time to stop buying tennis balls to play fetch with your dog. Turns out the fuzzy exterior isn't good for them or the environment: The soft, fuzzy coating is made of plastic, and when its threads are shed from the ball, they become microplastics that can end up in waterways and/or ingested by your dog. Plenty of alternatives are available, but among the best are plastic-free tennis balls, which have the same bounce, shape and feel of regular tennis balls but are totally free of microplastics.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

Microplastics are everywhere, unfortunately, and it's important to do our part to reduce plastic usage and keep plastic waste out of our waterways, for the health of our environment and ourselves. One way to reduce your exposure to microplastics is to avoid sea salt in your diet. A study in Spain tested 21 brands of sea salt, and all of them tested positive for microplastics. It makes sense: Sea salt is derived from seawater. To avoid microplastics in your salt, look for table salt, which is mined.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION