According to an August report from Sundale Research, people in the U.S. spent a total of $12.7 billion on gift wrap, including wrapping paper, tissue paper and gift bags, in 2017. What a waste. This is stuff designed to be torn into shreds and tossed away in less than 60 seconds.

Veganism has a reputation for being sin-free, the martyr of all diets for saving animals, the human body and Earth itself. While there’s plenty of evidence that avoiding animal products can benefit both a person’s health and the environment, it’s not necessarily the right eating plan for everyone. Plus, if all Americans were interested in going vegan — many signs point to this not being the case — it’s possible the country wouldn’t be able to sustain such a lifestyle.

When you visit the supermarket, is it better for the planet to carry home your groceries in a paper, plastic or reusable tote bag? The answer is more complicated than you might think.

There’s no question that Amazon and other online retailers will be offering major Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals. In 2017, Cyber Monday sales broke records, with $6.59 billion spent in the single day, CNBC reported. Amazon accounted for an estimated 42% of all those sales, according to market research firm Slice Intelligence. With the added benefit of being able to shop in your pajamas, not having to wait in line or risk the chance of being trampled in a store, the sales might feel irresistible to consumers.

My dog Gussie is enviably regular. She makes around four poops a day. This means that, in an average week, I use and discard 28 plastic bags to pick up and toss her poop. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that pet owners pick up their animal waste instead of leaving it on the ground, for sanitary reasons. The agency recommends using a bag to avoid getting pathogens from the waste on your hands. It doesn’t specify that you use plastic for this. But most people do.

In New Orleans, it’s not Mardi Gras without the beads. It’s a nearly 200-year-old tradition for parade marchers to treat the huge crowds to freebies, which have evolved from glass baubles and nuts to today’s plastic jewel-tone beads. On Fat Tuesday, the beads are nearly ubiquitous, as they’ve come to symbolize the celebration. But when the party’s over, the beads linger.

A new shop in Vancouver, British Columbia, has reimagined the supermarket to combat plastic pollution. Nada’s concept is simple: All of the food sold inside is entirely package free. Shoppers bring their own clean containers and bags to fill with goods and can pay for bulk items by weight. The “tap-fill-pay” refill system aims to get rid of the overcomplicated process most bulk stores employ.

In an effort to understand more about my personal consumption, I tracked my plastic usage for a week.

Since early March, people from around the world have been picking up trash from beaches, roads, parks and everywhere in between, sharing before-and-after photos of their cleanup successes across social media. It all started when an Arizona man, Byron Román, shared on his Facebook page a photo set featuring Algerian ecologist and activist Drici Tani Younes. Román’s post urged teens to take part in the TrashTag Challenge.

Insider Picks writes about products and services to help you navigate when shopping online. Insider Inc. receives a commission from our affiliate partners when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective. S'well bottles are beloved for their sleek design, their ability to keep drinks hot or cold, and their condensation-free exterior. S'well We are in the midst of a mega trash crisis. In 2016, more than 480 billion plastic bottles were s

For years, Cress was advocating for what he’s dubbed the “offer-first” policy. “The offer-first policy is where a server comes up to your table, takes your order for a drink and asks whether you’d like a straw with your drink,” he told Mic in an interview. “And just by doing that, a restaurant can actually cut down on their straw use by 50-80%, which is really exciting because you’re not only putting the power of making a choice into the hands of the customer, but you’re also making an environmentally responsible step along the way.”