5 simple ways you can reduce your plastic use this #PlasticFreeJuly

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24 Jul 2023

Unfortunately, single-use plastics have become a way of life for many of us. We’ve all grown very accustomed to seeing plastics in everyday products that we use. But just because it’s the norm, doesn’t mean that it’s right. Our oceans are struggling and calling out for help. Did you know that fossil fuels are used to make almost all plastics? Fossil fuels are harming our planet from every angle – even by producing plastics.

This month is Plastic Free July - which is a global movement helping people to learn how to reduce their plastic waste. The initiative is designed to provide resources to help everyone reduce their single-use plastic waste in all areas of their lives. You can sign up for the challenge to reduce your single-use plastic usage here.

The challenge is a good start in taking action against single-use plastics, but you may be wondering how you start cutting single-use plastics out of your life? You can start small, you don’t have to change everything immediately. We’ve put together a few simple ways that you can start reducing the amount of single-use plastic that you use. A small change will make a difference. Once you’ve started you can educate yourself more on single-use plastic alternatives.

Take a look at our tips to get started below:

Ditch those disposable coffee cups and bring your own reusable drinks bottle

There are so many reusable coffee cups to choose from, that there’s really no excuse on using single-use plastic for your morning coffee. Many cafés even give you a discount for bringing your own – so it’s a win-win, right?

Bring your own shopping bags

Many of the single-use plastic bags end up in our oceans and unfortunately are mistaken for food by many animals. We’re choking our sea life by our shopping bag habit. It’s not that hard to keep a sustainable shopping bag with you. It’s just one thing to check that you have in the morning – just add it to your routine.

Yes, we understand that we’ve all been there in the supermarket till queue and had that realisation that we forgot to bring our own bags, but why not just carry your items if you can or if you’ve come in your car – just take it to your car and pop it into a bag to unload when your home. A little inconvenience to you, could greatly help our planet.

Choose plastic free packaging

Many shopping items are unnecessarily wrapped in plastic. It’s easy - just choose products which are free from plastic packaging. Many shops now allow you to bring your own containers to fill up without the need for plastic packaging.

Say goodbye to single-use cutlery

Cutting the use of single-use plates and cutlery is another way to manage your plastic use. It’s such a wasteful way of entertaining your guests and from O1 October 2023, the UK government are actually banning single- use plastic cutlery and plates.

Use companies that only sell plastic free products

As consumers, we have a choice on where we spend our money. We don’t have to invest in companies that use single-use plastics, we can consciously make a change by supporting sustainable, zero-waste companies. Take a look at this list on the best companies who will actually help our environment here.

Already doing this? Here’s a few more suggestions for you:

Use loose leaf tea – did you know that there are even some plastics in the common tea bag?

Try a bamboo toothbrush – you can even get bamboo earbuds.

Use the soap bar rather than the bottle.

Say goodbye to the nasty clingfilm and use beeswax food wraps.

Change your beauty regime by getting rid of your face-wipes and use a biodegradable alternative or a flannel instead.

Ultimately, just think about the alternatives

Single-use plastic is convenient – there’s no doubt about that. But that convenience is killing our planet. Our laziness is corrupting our oceans. Now, there are more and more alternatives to single-use plastics, we just have to educate ourselves about them. Governments are starting to act with initiatives like the UK’s plastic straw ban, but they aren’t acting quickly enough. With movements like Plastic Free July, hopefully more of us will learn about the devastating impact of single-use plastic before it’s too late.