Paper and plastic are materials that can never be separated from our lives. Nowadays, almost all of our needs use paper and plastic. For example, we use plastic bags when we buy groceries in traditional markets and we use paper as a medium for writing. Using paper and plastic wisely in our daily lives is very important because the excessive use of paper and plastic can cause many bad impacts to the environment.

Some of the bad impacts of using plastic and paper can be seen in the excessive use of plastic bags, plastic bottles and paper. The bad impact of the use of plastic came from the waste, plastic waste will increase due to increased use of plastic. Plastic waste can cause environmental pollution such as soil and water pollution because plastic waste is very difficult to decompose. Environmental pollution can threaten other living creatures. The bad impact of the use of paper is deforestation because paper is made from wood as the main raw material. Even though wood is a renewable natural resource, excessive use of paper affects the process of felling trees. The process of felling of trees becomes continuous and can causes deforestation.

To become wise users of paper and plastic, we can apply the T + 3R concept, namely Think + Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. First, ‘think’ is about thinking first about needs before using paper and plastic, so it will prevent the production of plastic and paper waste. Second, ‘reduce’ is about using enough paper and plastic as needed, for example if you want to buy something in a minimarket, you can choose to use a tote bag instead of using a plastic bag. Third, ‘reuse’ is about not throwing away paper and plastic that can still be reused, for example if you want to drink some milkshake you can choose to use stainless steel straw instead of using plastic straw which is you can reuse the straw and don’t produce plastic waste. Fourth, ‘recycle’ is about not throwing away paper and plastic waste but turning it into something useful, for example if you have a lot of plastic waste you can use it to make handicrafts like flower vases from plastics bottle and if you have a lot of paper waste you can recycle it to be new paper by destroying it first and then printing it again.

In conclusion, We cannot avoid using paper and plastic because a lot of our needs are made from paper and plastic. The bad impact of the use of paper and plastic will occur due to the unwise action of using it, namely the excessive use of paper and plastic. However, if we can be wise in using plastic and paper in our daily lives, so that we can contribute to protecting and preserving the environment. To be wise in using paper and plastic we can use the T + 3R concept.