5 Tips to Reduce Your Plastic Waste

Wondering how to reduce your plastic footprint? Let’s be honest, plastic in any form is harmful to the environment. It’s in our oceans, in our water and it’s killing our marine life. But thanks (in part) to the success of Blue Planet II, plastic pollution has now become a major environmental concern. The thought of living without plastic can be overwhelming so start out by making these small lifestyle changes.

With the rise of eco-friendly, reusable alternatives, it’s easier than ever before to cut down on single-use plastic. Here are some simple and easy ways to reduce your plastic waste.

READ: 6 Easy Zero Waste Bathroom Swaps

5 Tips To Reduce Your Plastic Waste

1. Reusable Straws

The majority of us use straws for a couple of minutes and yet research predicts they take 200 years to break down. If everyone reduced their dependency on plastic then we wouldn’t get as much waste product and (fingers crossed) it wouldn’t continue to pollute our planet.

Well, we may not have a choice in the matter. The government are proposing to ban plastic straws in England to cut down on plastic waste. This is a massive positive shift. In the meantime, why not try asking for your drinks without a straw? Or when you’re next out shopping, swap a pack of plastic straws for biodegradable ones.

These small acts may seem like a drop in the ocean (pun totally intended there) but it means that one less person adds to the mountain of plastic being thrown away every day. Believe me, you’re not alone in your efforts. It WILL make a difference.

2. Plastic-free kitchen

Until recently, we have been dependent on single-use options like tin foil and cling film in the kitchen. Although the amounts we use may seem small when we’re wrapping up sandwiches, leftovers etc, it all adds to the problem.

Pay a visit to your local kitchenware shop (Lakeland is a great example) and you’ll find some fantastic alternatives including paper food bags, reusable food covers, glass containers and more.

Instead of reaching for the cling film or foil, why not try a sandwich wrap? Made from cotton and a washable lining, you can reuse it again and again (and not just for sandwiches.)

Or when you need to cover the leftovers in the fridge, try using some food wrap. It’s usually made from a combination of organic cotton and beeswax which is great for keeping food fresh and gripping round bowls or tubs. Want to use it again? Just rinse it with warm water and wash with mild soap and you’re good to go.

Another way to reduce your single-use plastic consumption starts with your local shop or supermarket. Most of us have used plastic bags to hold fresh fruit and veg or nuts/seeds, right? Canvas or reusable mesh bags can do the job just as well and help to reduce your carbon footprint when shopping.

 

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Want to cut down on the amount of plastic and foil products you use? Here’s one small but awesome way – eco sandwich wraps! 😍💚 Non-toxic, reusable and machine washable (plus totally adorable, right?) Get one online or at a kitchen store! 😁🍔 #sandwichwraps #cutdownonwaste #cutdownonplastic #singleuseplasticsucks #ecosandwichwrap #environmentallyfriendly #reuseablefoodwrap #greenliving #lessplastic #earthfriendly #sustainableliving

A post shared by Anneka | New Shades of Hippy (@newshadesofhippyblog) on Jul 7, 2017 at 4:53am PDT

3. Carry a reusable water bottle or reusable coffee cup

A lot of disposable hot drink cups, even though seemingly made from cardboard, can be deceiving and are often not recyclable.

The great thing about this tip is that you don’t even have to buy two separate containers for your drinks. For a relatively small expense, you can get your hands on a good quality flask that can keep your coffee hot or your water ice cold. If you’re a lover of ‘on the go’ coffee, it’s also becoming really easy to refill your reusable cup. Most coffee chains are actually encouraging it and they make great gifts!

READ: Eco-Friendly Gifts for Valentine’s Day

Starbucks recently started a three-month coffee cup charge trial across 35 London branches. Known as the “Latte Levy”, customers are being charged an extra 5p for using single-use cups. In January, Pret A Manger doubled the discount for customers using reusable cups in an effort to reduce waste. Some great reusable coffee cup brands include:

• KeepCup
• rCUP

4. Reusable shopping bags

Keep some reusable bags in the car or by your front door so you remember them when going out. If you do have to buy one (we’ve all been there), try to choose a paper alternative. The introduction of the 5p bag charge has undoubtedly helped cut down on the amount of plastic bag waste in the UK.

But I believe it now takes that extra bit of effort from all of us to keep the reusable lifestyle going. Do we really need a small bag with our lunch? Or the plastic bag for our take-away? The decision to help in the fight against unnecessary waste is in the everyday things. Your weekly or monthly shop are great starting points.

5. Plastic-free beauty and sanitary products

Have you ever wondered how much plastic goes into making cotton buds, toothpicks and toothbrushes? Or how much plastic and toxic waste comes from tampons, panty liners and sanitary pads? According to the Women’s Environmental Network, these sanitary products alone produce more than 200,000 tons of waste per year.

The current crisis in our oceans is one clear sign that plastic is not the way forward. Luckily, there are loads of environmentally-friendly products out there which can turn any bathroom into a plastic-free paradise.

READ: 6 Easy Zero Waste Bathroom Swaps

Mooncup is an eco-friendly alternative to tampons and sanitary pads. Fancy spending less on sanitary products each month? It can save you money too as it’s reusable and made to last for years.

Bamboo toothbrushes are now widely available online. Organic, sustainable and biodegradable, these earth-friendly brushes are a fantastic alternative to the everyday plastic toothbrush. Some even have BPA free bristles which is an added bonus!

Now for my favourite find. Surfers Against Sewage are now selling bamboo cotton buds! For just £2.50, you can grab yourself a recycled box of 100% plastic-free and biodegradable cotton buds. What a fantastic alternative!

So it just goes to show that a life without so much plastic IS possible. In the not so distant future, I hope our dependency on this toxic stuff can be greatly cut down.

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