If there鈥檚 one material we can鈥檛 seem to live without, it鈥檚 plastic. And there鈥檚 a reason for that: It's cheap, durable, and lightweight, making it perfect for everything from iPhones to eyewear.

But what makes plastic so useful for humans is exactly what makes it a nasty environmental contaminate鈥攊t spreads easily and takes forever to degrade, finding its way to our lands and oceans where it wreaks havoc on wildlife. To date, at least species of marine animals, including shorebirds, have been entangled by plastic or mistaken it for food. The result is often suffocation or starvation.

Since the 1950s, we've generated 8.3 billion metric tons of the stuff, of which a scant nine percent has been recycled. And by 2050, the oceans will stock more plastic than fish.

But as problematic and worrisome as all of this is, completely cutting plastic from our lives is impossible at this point. Reducing your plastic use, however, is surprisingly easy and pain-free. You鈥檙e not going to end the problem overnight, but here are some simple tricks to waste less.

1. Cut Out Plastic Cutlery鈥擡specially When Ordering In

Have you ever tried to cut a piece of broccoli with a plastic fork? Yeah, not fun. And yet Americans use plastic utensils everyday, much of which comes wrapped in even more plastic.

When ordering food online, opt out of receiving plastic utensils鈥攊t鈥檚 often as easy as just checking (or unchecking) a box. That's it. And if you鈥檙e ordering takeout in person or over the phone, ask the restaurant to skip the plastic flatware.

Better yet: Try cooking for yourself. Although the idea is radical, home-cooked food is often healthier and produces way less waste.

2. Party Plastic-Free

Let鈥檚 be honest, no party needs those red Solo cups, which may take to decompose. So why not use real cups?

Whether you鈥檙e hosting a dinner party or bridal shower, one great way to reduce plastic waste is to simply use real tableware. If you don鈥檛 have enough, ask friends to bring extras (people tend to care more about food than whether or not the plates match).

The downside, of course, is cleanup, but there are even ! And if you鈥檝e got a dishwasher, well, you鈥檝e really got no excuses. 

If you still feel that the burden of cleanup is too great (or you鈥檙e serving booze, which might lead to wobbly hands), avoid the plastic tableware and at least opt for products instead.

3. Say Bye Bye to Balloons

Many balloons are made of plastic, and when they get away, they can travel for before touching down. Some birds mistake them for food, and others mistake them (or their ribbons) for nesting material. 

鈥淲e see this all of the time,鈥� says Steve Kress, executive director of . 鈥淥ne time, I found a ribbon tangled around a puffin in its burrow. It said on the balloon, 鈥楢ngry Birds.鈥欌€�

Birds aren't the only animals that balloons harm either; they pose dangers to all other manners of wildlife. So go ahead and ditch the balloons at your next big celebration. And if you're worried about deflating the fun, try some other options. If you鈥檙e feeling crafty, make  or . And if you鈥檙e feeling lazy, just buy a banner instead鈥攏on-plastic, of course. 

4. Take Advantage of Tap Water

Evian. Fuji. Smart Water. They all sound special鈥攂ut are they really any healthier or tastier than tap?

Not really. In most parts of the world with public, potable water, tap is just as safe to drink as the stuff that comes in plastic. It鈥檚 also often as tasty鈥�. Globally, we spend more than billion each year on bottled water, a sharp contrast to the pennies you pay to turn on a faucet. Yet another reason to love tap.  

So how can you take advantage of this incredible public resource? Find a reusable bottle that you love, and don鈥檛 let it leave your side. If you have trouble finding a place to refill it, check out or , Smartphone tap maps.

If you still occasionally fall victim to Big Water's advertising ploys鈥攚ho 诲辞别蝉苍鈥檛 want Jennifer Aniston鈥檚 Smart Water glow?鈥攖ry to reuse the bottles as much as possible. No one will ever know. 

5. Skip the Plastic Straws 

Ah, the humble straw: American staple, transporter of sodas and iced coffee, an entertaining bubble machine鈥攁nd also a major threat to wildlife, as anyone who鈥檚 seen an can attest.

Ridding straws from your life is no easy feat. Americans alone use of them each day, after all. Most of the time they are provided without consent and thrown out thoughtlessly. But they can also be necessary鈥攅specially if you suffer from certain medical conditions.

If you don鈥檛 need these suckers, don鈥檛 use them. Tell your server to skip the straws as soon as you sit down at a restaurant, or use a refillable cup at your local coffee shop. And if you do need to use a straw, try a sustainable alternative. There are straws made of and , and . Heck, there are even !

But my personal favorite is . Bloody Mary, anyone?

6. Buy Bulk Foods

Food and packaging containers account for of all trash in landfills, according to the EPA, and buying bulk can help stem that stream.

So go ahead, instead of picking up that small jar of peanut butter, spring for five pounds of the salty goodness. If you do, you鈥檒l save money, trips to the grocery store, and plastic waste. According to , buying peanut butter in bulk, for example, can save families seven pounds of landfill waste per year. Other items that will yield large savings in plastic waste when bought in bulk include staples such as noodles, rice, and beans, according to .

7. Get Better at Recycling 

While everyone knows they should be recycling by now, even the best of us still don't always get it right. 

Turns out, we recycle only a fraction of the plastic waste we produce, and that鈥檚 partly due to poor recycling techniques. You do, in fact, need to rinse out your containers, for example. Otherwise they might contaminate plastics around them and end up in a landfill. Also, avoid tossing out recycling in a used plastic bag. What might seem like a smart twofer turns out to be potentially damaging to . 

And now that , try to avoid buying plastics numbered 3-7, which include common food products like single-serving yogurt cups (another reason to buy bulk!). Many U.S. municipalities can no longer recycle them.

鈥淧eople think that they鈥檝e done their good deed for the day by throwing plastic in the blue bin,鈥� says Shilpi Chhotray, the senior communications officer for . But in reality, she says, much of that 鈥渞ecycling鈥� just ends up as trash due to human error. 

8. Actually Remember Your Reusable Bag

Look, you probably already have plenty of reusable bags, but the tricky part is remembering to take them anywhere. 

鈥淏ringing your own bags is a no-brainer, but a lot of people don鈥檛 do it,鈥� Kress says. 鈥淎nd those little plastic bags are a big problem.鈥�

Here's your solve: Store one in everything you take with you鈥攜our purse, backpack, gym bag鈥攁nd if you drive to the store, in your car. You want bags everywhere. There鈥檚 just one hard part: When you return from home, don鈥檛 forget to put them back.

And if you鈥檙e still worried you鈥檒l forget them, just add 鈥渞eusable bag鈥� to your shopping list. 

Take It to the Next Level 

If you鈥檝e already mastered these tips, it might be time to up your plastic-free game. Chhotray calls this the culture of 鈥渓eveling up.鈥�

These tips are 鈥渁 good place to start,鈥� she says, 鈥渂ut a terrible place to stop.鈥�

If your favorite restaurant gives out single-use plastics, for example, ask them to switch to sustainable alternatives. If that 诲辞别蝉苍鈥檛 work, try circulating a petition in your community. The next step is to engage at the civil level to put local laws on the books that reduce plastic waste. (.)

鈥淭ake your practice and get people involved in your cause,鈥� she says. 鈥淭he idea is that we have to move away from individual change to this culture of leveling up.鈥�