Eco-Friendly Plastic Alternatives: Part 1

Swaps For The Busy Bee

You work all day, come home to kids, cooking and laundry - we get it. Being environmentally conscious and making the right decisions can be time consuming and daunting, but we've got some really easy swaps for you. Help the planet, reduce your waste and set a good example for those around you.

 

Bags

Yes, bags, we know you’ve heard this a lot but it’s important so we’re going to say it again. Each year 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are used worldwide. Enough is enough! Get yourself a few reusable bags, keep one in your handbag, in the boot of your car, in your desk at work - anywhere! Don't be caught without one and have to use plastic.

Plus, how much more stylish are reusable bags like these gorgeous ones from Envirosax?

 

Straws

Plastic straws are a huge problem and they are EVERYWHERE. Coffee shops, restaurants, fast food chains… and then the ocean, the streets, the inside of our sea life. There’s an easy solution - reusable straws. They’re inexpensive and can last forever, easy peasy. Just make sure you clean them regularly.

Recently, McDonald's made the move to trial paper straws in selected stores in the UK along with keeping plastic straws behind the counter in other stores to help reduce wastage.

 

Cutlery

Whilst we’re on the topic, do we really need to use plastic cutlery everywhere we go? No! Taking your own is easy, sanitary (we’re sure some unwashed hands will have rummaged in that basket of plastic forks!) and you know you’re not contributing to the worlds plastic problem.

 

Toothbrushes

Ahhh, more plastic for landfill. How often do you change your toothbrush? Every other month? Once per month? Whatever you do, consider that there are billions of other people doing this, it’s just too much plastic. Why not opt for a more environmentally friendly option, like these bamboo toothbrushes from &Keep!

 

Chewing gum

Did you know gum contains plastic? Yeah, we didn't either. The thought of chewing on plastic is gross and we don't really need to say much more. Here’s some alternatives, or maybe switch to mints.

 

 

Buy in bulk

Currently, there’s a lot of plastic in our supermarkets. Some we can avoid, some we can’t. If you need to purchase a plastic bag of crisps or sweets, why not opt for the large bags? You can decant and store it when you get home, and at least you've made a smarter choice with your waste. You can buy the 50g bag of chocolates, or you can buy the 1kg bag of chocolates and save buying all the additional little bags on your next 9 shops. Chances are you’ll save some money too!

 

Making a few small changes will not only help our precious planet, but it'll make you feel pretty awesome too, as you should! Know someone who needs to make one of these swaps? Go on, share this post with them and double the good karma coming your way.