How To Go Plastic Free
Free yourself of plastic!
Your sustainable living challenge today is:
Don't buy anything with plastic today, and do your weekly shop avoiding all plastic.
Tips on how to go plastic-free
See if there's a bulk buy store near you
If there's no bulk buy, try a local grocer for your fruit & veggies as they're less likely to be packaged
See this as an opportunity to try foods you may not usually buy
How to go plastic free and take the extra step:
Choose at least one item in your life to replace with a plastic free option - shampoo bar, soap bar, bamboo toothbrush, metal straws etc check out The Plastic Free Shop (bulk buy stores will usually sell these items too)
Consider signing up for a fruit & veg delivery, these are usually plastic-free
Why should we go plastic free?
Good question. There are many reasons and probably the most well known ones are about plastic in the ocean - shout out to big man Atty D for bringing this to our attention.
Now, plastic in the ocean is pretty freakin’ awful. It is estimated that a truck load gets dumped in every minute and that by 2050 there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish. Absolute madness. Now we’ve all had a jolly swim in the sea with a nappy floating by, but surprisingly most of the ocean plastic is microplastics. These are tiny little pieces of plastic that come off clothes in our washing machines, are washed off our faces in cosmetic products and are left when larger plastic items are broken down. These of course have a terrible effect on marine life and human health.
We also need to think about the processes to make plastic. These usually involve fossil fuels and fracking, which means that the carbon footprint of purchasing plastic items is also another consideration, along with the devastating effects that fracking can have on ecosystems.
It can be tricky to work out how to go plastic free, just take your time and use these facts to keep your motivation up! Remember you can always reduce plastic, either as a final destination or whilst you’re en route learning how to go plastic free, and that is also awesome.
For more info about the impacts of plastic and some more tricks on how to go plastic free:
Read this fab article from our friends at Ethical Consumer
Read this great article from Earth Hero
Read this groovy article from Greenpeace
Enjoy today’s sustainable living challenge: How to go plastic free
Have a fab time and remember that motivation is KEY to sustainable living - find the ways that work for you and don’t be hard on yourself. If you fancy joining a lovely supportive of network with the same aims for sustainable living and understandings that this stuff can be complex, hit up our social talks at the pub or sign up to the newsletter to come see us at our next events!