Some of the questions we’re asked the most here at Natural Life Magazine involve plastic: How dangerous is it? Can we avoid it in our lives? What do those numbers mean on the bottom of plastic containers?

We’ve just updated an article that we published in answer to those questions back in 2008. It includes a chart explaining the plastic recycling numbering code, details plastic’s harm to the environment and to our health, and provides some suggestions for avoiding it in our everyday lives.

Can most people live completely without plastic? Probably not. But we can go a long way in that direction by avoiding processed foods, including canned and those wrapped in plastic; breastfeeding; giving our children wooden toys and handmade dolls rather than plastic playthings; storing leftovers in glass jars; composting food waste, recycling and wrapping what little garbage is left in newspaper rather than plastic trash bags; and – perhaps the easiest of all – taking reusable canvas bags to the store.