Meet 13 Families That Have Declared War On Plastic Across The World

Faced with shops full of food and other goods swathed in plastic, families across the world are trying to reduce its use and recycle wherever possible to cut down its impact on the environment. Here are a few of them:

1. Joshi family, India

Mughda Joshi (R), along with her husband Tanmay Joshi (L), son Kabir Joshi (C), grandfather in law Manohar Joshi (2nd L) and mother in law Vandana Joshi (2nd R) pose for a portrait inside their house in Mumbai, India, May 26, 2018. "We use bamboo toothbrushes instead of a plastic toothbrush; shampoo bars instead of shampoo and conditioner packed in plastic bottles; shop for vegetables and fruits from local markets rather than from supermarkets where even the veggies and fruits are packed in plastic film," said Mugdha.

2. Sato family, Japan

Joshi family, IEri Sato (R) poses with her husband Tatsuya and three-month-old daughter Sara at their home in Yokohama, Japan, May 23, 2018. "I think there's no escaping plastic waste. I see it on the streets, in the mountains, underwater. It's literally everywhere." Eri said. "In our family, we try to reduce our carbon footprint wherever we can. We're very conscious of the impacts our choices can have on the environment. First, we try to reduce consumption of plastics. This mentality is applied to both daily groceries, clothing, and many other products. When we have to consume, we try to keep it minimal. Recycling is generally the last option for us, and definitely not the first," she added. "Instead of the disposable plastic bottles, we've switched to reusable bottles. We've also gone to shampoo bars instead of bottled shampoo. Our toothbrush is made from bamboo and we use reusable shopping bags whenever we can."

3. Wilbur family, U.S.

Brandy Wilbur (2nd L), 44, a high school STEM Coordinator, and Anthony Wilbur (R), 45, a high school environmental science teacher, pose for a portrait with their children Sophie (L), 12, and Andrew (2nd R), nine, at their home in Wenham, Massachusetts, U.S., May 27, 2018. "We try to reduce our footprint. We all use stainless steel water bottles and bring our own coffee mugs, etc. I try to avoid single use plastics such as straws, cups and bottles, but I'm not always successful," said Brandy. "When shopping, I do try to buy products with minimal packaging, but that's challenging too, everything is packaged!" she added. "I think plastics are increasing, especially the plastics that cannot be recycled like wrappers, products wrapped in plastic wrap, snack bags, etc - all for the convenience factor. We're aware and try our best to reduce our use of plastics but it's hard."

4. Tatiana Schnittke and her family, Israel

Tatiana Schnittke, (L), 39, Yaniv Ben-Dov, 44, and their son Jonathan, two, pose for a portrait in their apartment in Jaffa, Tel Aviv, Israel, May 24, 2018. "I think the most important aspect in this matter is to buy the minimum amount of stuff. I try but it¡¯s hard, we live in a capitalist world. We buy a lot of second-hand stuff, but when you go to the mall or the supermarket, a lot of things are from plastic. Everything comes with plastic,"

5. Shrestha family, Nepal

Roshani Shrestha (3rd L), 57, her husband, Indra Lal Shrestha (2nd L), 62, a retired businessman, elder son Ejan Shrestha (L), 29, a front desk representative at Tattoo Junction and younger son Rojan Shrestha (R), 27, a tattoo artist pose for a portrait at their rented apartment in Kathmandu, Nepal, May 21, 2018. "I give back the plastic bags that I have to the vegetable vendors so that they can reuse them rather than using a new one," said Roshani. "We would use alternatives to plastic since it helps the environment but it is not possible since most of the products come either in plastic wrap or some other forms of plastic," she added. "We don't use single-use plastics like cups, plates, spoon or forks."

6. Downie family, Britain

Karen Downie (2nd R) and her family pose for a portrait in Pitlochry, Scotland, Britain, May 27, 2018. "We recycle what we can, and try to minimise waste generally, including food which is composted," said Karen. "Even the plastic that is recycled will ultimately have an impact. Discarded plastic does not decompose and presents a serious and irreversible long-term threat to the health of our planet, and more immediately to animals which should enjoy pristine habitats," she added. "Alternatives do already exist in many cases, but it seems are simply not widely offered because plastic offers cheap convenience. Manufacturers, retailers and governments need to do more to drive the necessary decline in use of plastic."

7. Laura Barrado and her family, Spain

Laura Barrado (L), 44, Agricultural Engineer poses with her family at their home in Alpedrete, near Madrid, Spain, May 29, 2018. "We try to avoid certain purchases, mainly food, in plastic bags or plastic trays. We recycle as much as possible not only plastic but also paper or organic trash," said Laura. "We try to the best of our ability to minimise our impact on the environment to leave a better world for future generations."

8. Compas Ponce family, Southern Spain

Vicente Compas (R), 42, a technical architect, his wife Inmaculada Ponce, 46, a nurses assistant, and their daughters Ana, 15, and Ruth (2nd R) 12, pose for a photograph in the yard of their home in Arriate, southern Spain, May 29, 2018. "We separate plastics, glasses, paper, cardboard, waste oils and organic wastes," said Vicente. "Our use of plastic decreases every day, we are more aware of the care of the planet, our home."

9. Audrey Gan's family, Singapore

Audrey Gan (C), 31, poses for a portrait with her husband Leow Yee Shiang, 30, and their three-year-old son Kyler in Singapore, May 21, 2018. "We started being more aware of the waste generated by our household when it was highlighted to us in our Buddhist teachings... that all this plastic waste is harming other beings on earth," said Audrey. "We try to curb our desire to shop for new and unnecessary items. If we are really craving for a drink of bubble tea, we bring our own containers to avoid the plastic cup and straw they come in. I use a cloth diaper for Kyler once he reaches home, but we use at least one disposable a day because we haven't figured out how to avoid leaks with cloth diapers overnight."

10. Alexander Raduenz's family, Germany

Alexander Raduenz along with his partner Berit and his children Zoe and Yuna pose for a portrait inside their rented apartment in Berlin, Germany, May 28, 2018. "We try to lower our carbon footprint as much as possible. We are pretty much aware of the impact plastic has on our environment," said Alexander. "If alternatives to plastic are available, we are using them instead."

11. Gaspar Antuna's family, Spain

Gaspar Antuna, Elena Vilabrille and their son Teo pose for a portrait in the Lavapies neighbourhood of Madrid, Spain, May 30, 2018. "We try to buy less but better - as much second hand as possible, reusing, and finally recycling. Mostly plastic and paper, but also fabrics, clothes and objects in general," said Elena. "But we really miss more institutional information about it. We have to make more effort when consuming but it won't be as effective if we don't know how to do it properly."

12. Lauren Singer, U.S.

Lauren Singer, 27, a former environmental studies major, poses for a portrait at Package Free's headquarters in Brooklyn, New York, U.S, May 30, 2018. Singer is the founder and owner of Package Free Shop, a business that sells products with a mission to create a positive environmental impact with little to zero plastic waste, and is also the founder and creator of the environmental educational blog Trash is for Tossers. Over 5 years ago, Singer, wanting to align her lifestyle with her values of environmental sustainability, embarked on a path to reduce her personal waste and as a result, all of the non-recyclable or non-compostable waste she generated over that period fitted into a 16 ounce mason jar.

13. Lyritsis family, Greece

Natalia Lyritsis, (L), 5, Alexandra Patrikiou, (2nd L), 39, Alice Lyritsis, (2nd R), 3, and Vassilis Lyritsis, (R), 46, pose for a portrait at their house in Athens, Greece, May 24, 2018. "We recycle plastic, paper, glass etc... and try to buy products made from recycled materials. We try to have as many plants as possible on our balcony," said Alexandra. "The use of alternatives to plastic should be combined with initiatives and campaigns in order to raise awareness and create a greater consensus," she added.