Over the past couple years there's been a movement in the angling community to kick plastic and pick up trash every time you go out fishing. The kick plastic was no big deal, I carry my hydro flask with me everywhere, but picking up trash proved to be a challenge. It's not that I'm opposed to cleaning up our rivers, but my net is just not big enough to hold the amount of plastic bags and water bottles, chip bags, and the inevitable Miller Lite Cans that seem to be everywhere. Filling up a net usually takes me a few minutes and then I move on to trying to shove trash in my pack or waders and always walking away disappointed.

On this year's World Environment Day there's a call to Beat Plastic Pollution. If we don't figure out a way to cut down on plastic usage, it's estimated that by 2050 there will be more plastic in the oceans than fish. That's a pretty staggering thought.

In addition to the handy reusable bottle I never leave home without, here's a list of ways I'm planning to help Beat Plastic Pollution

 1) No more plastic grocery bags. I've been using cloth bags forever, but I also have a terrible habit of forgetting them. Today I put a set of bags in both cars so now neither of us has an excuse.

2) No more plastic straws or utensils. I don't know about you guys, but Jacob and I are big fans of food trucks! 10 out of 10 we'd rather go to a food truck than a restaurant, which means lots of plastic utensils and straws. So, today I purchased two reusable utensil kits that include all utensils (plus chopsticks), a straw with a cleaning brush, all in a little travel case. Bonus: All the utensils are made from bamboo! Win, Win!

3) No more plastic sandwich bags! Instead, I also ordered a set of reusable bags.

If you'd like to know more about this year's efforts to Beat Plastic, check out the                    World Environment Day site.

How will you #BeatPlasticPollution this year?