It’s ‘Plastic Free July’ so what better time to talk about the easy swaps you can make in your day-to-day life that can have a positive environmental impact.
The key word in today’s post is ‘reusable’ (say it with me folks) and it is a word we should be repeating over and over to ourselves when thinking about reducing our plastic consumption.
I’m all for thinking that little, everyday changes or swaps can lead to bigger accumulative change, and don’t let anyone let you think otherwise. It’s easy to get overwhelmed with phrases like “you can’t make a difference” or “you’re not doing enough”, but trust me when I say, you can make a difference. I visited the official Plastic Free July website and they said that by choosing to refuse plastic bags, an individual can save around 500 plastic bags per year from entering oceans and landfill. That sounds pretty impactful to me. So imagine if everyone slowly stopped using plastic bags…small choices can accumulative to big change.
Now I’m far from perfect with following these below tips, but I have found them very easy and achievable to implement into my everyday routine. To making “plastic-free” even easier on yourself, start out slow. Try doing one of these tips each week and building up from there. This will allow you to better integrate these changes into your lifestyle, make you feel less overwhelmed and overall allow you to enjoy the process, because if it’s not a positive experience, you’re less likely to stick with it.
So here are my top 5 swaps for you to try this Plastic Free July.
Up there as one of the ‘trendiest’ plastic-free swaps, reusable straws are a great first step to going plastic–free. According to Clean Up Australia, Australians use about 10 million straws every day and that number to me is mind blowing! I own a steel straw and use it every time I make a smoothie at home. I make sure to rinse it out straight away and clean it with a little straw cleaning brush. The trickiness starts however when you leave the house because plastic straws are everywhere! I’m still trying to get better at this myself. Start asking for drinks without a straw or you can be super organised and pack your own (I’m not at this level yet). Starting this swap in your home is a great first step and you can slowly work your way up from there.
Reusable straws come in all shapes and sizes (you can even get jumbo steel straws for thick shakes!). I bought my straw and cleaner from Source Bulk Foods.
2. Reusable shopping bags
This one has been the easiest swap for me personally. I no longer use plastic bags during my grocery shopping (it helps that they’re no longer offered) and try my best to use fewer plastic bags when retail shopping (I’m not perfect with this yet). My biggest pro tips are: 1. Leave reusable bags in your car for those times you have to make a quick last-minute dash to the shops and, 2. Get a little compact and foldable bag for your handbag for those everyday shopping or carrying occasions.
3. Reusable produce bags
I’ve found I’ve saved so much plastic waste with this swap! I was gifted with reusable produce bags over a year ago and I use them every time I go fruit and vegetable shopping. I no longer buy apples and put them into a plastic bag that will be thrown away as soon as I get home. Instead I put them inside my mesh produce bags and reuse them over and over again. They weigh close to nothing too, so they won’t impact the price of your food if you’re paying by weight.
The produce bags I own and use every time I shop are from the brand ONYA LIFE and I highly recommend them!
4. Reusable coffee cups and drink bottles
This tip is great because not only does it save the environment, but it also saves you money! Most places offer a small discount when you bring your own reusable coffee cup and if you have your own drink bottle, you won’t have to buy over-priced bottled water! It’s a win-win.
My current favourite coffee cup is from the brand Huskee and I love them because they’re the easiest cup to clean (I’ve owned some cups that have so many parts to them!) and they look super stylish and trendy. Like most brands, they come in multiple sizes so you can have your perfect hot beverage experience.
As for drink bottles, I have a small range at home that I switch between, some being hard plastic and others being stainless steel. It’s up to your personal preference on this one!
5. Reusable cutlery
Last, but not least is reusable cutlery! Every time I pack my lunch, I make sure to back my own cutlery from home. This saves me having to buy or use single use cutlery. It gets a bit trickier though once take-away food is involved. Try keeping a wooden (or stainless steel) fork and spoon in your bag daily which will allow you to say no to places who offer you plastic utensils. Sometimes when I do use plastic cutlery, I hold on to them for a while and try to reuse them, that way I’ve at least used them more than once.
Those are my top 5 easy tips to start going plastic-free. While I know some of these tips seem a bit obvious, I hope they showed you that it’s easy to start making positive choices in your day-to-day life that positively impact our environment. Going completely plastic-free may not be attainable for everyone, but what is achievable is slowly reducing single-use plastic consumption, because that alone makes a difference.
Goodluck, be mindful and have fun this Plastic Free July (and all other months of the year) and let me know any plastic free tips you may have or any sustainable brands you’re loving!