8 Tips For Living With Less Plastic

Single use plastic, it seems to be everywhere you look...in supermarkets, on packaging and in our homes. In the past decade we have produced more plastic than we have in the whole of the last century and the effect on the environment is devastating.

Here are 8 simple tips to help reduce plastic use in your everyday life.

1. Bring your own shopping bag

Did you know that every piece of plastic ever produced is still on the earth, in some shape or form? Bringing your own plastic bag (or even better, cloth bags) is a simple way to reduce the use of plastic bags- at a minimum of 5 pence per bag in the United Kingdom, it will save you money too!

2. Carry reusable water bottles

The average amount of time for a plastic water bottle to decompose is 450 years! Carrying a reusable water bottle with you means there is one less bottle in our oceans and making up landfill.

3. Bring your own cup

Disposable coffee cups make up a large percentage of waste finding its way into our fragile waterways. Whilst your morning coffee may perk you up, it may also have a detrimental affect on the environment once it leaves you! A lot of coffee shops now offer a discount for bringing your cup with you, so it makes perfect sense to adopt this easy step to reduce your plastic use.

4. Pack your lunch in reusable containers

Get rid of cling wrap for good! Re-usable containers provide the same freshness to your food as cling wrap does, without the potential harm to the environment. Another benefit of ditching plastic wrapping is additional protection for your food- no more squished sandwiches!

5. Say no to disposable cutlery

A lot of takeaway food companies will include plastic cutlery with your food without asking whether it is necessary. Remembering to bring your own reusable cutlery is a simple solution to do your bit for the environment!

6. Don’t use plastic produce bags

Most fruit and vegetables come with a natural protection mechanism preventing bugs from spoiling them- their skin! A lot of people forget this and tend to put perfectly protected fruit and vegetables in plastic bags to ‘protect’ them. Whilst this is not necessary, it is often easier to keep all of your fruits and vegetables together for the ease of weighing the produce. A simple solution for this is to purchase a few crocheted or hessian bags to keep your produce together before you go through the checkout- maybe even try your hand at knitting them yourself!

7. Eat at home

Our waist lines aren’t the only type of waist that is increasing due to fast food! Our waste collection is significantly increased by fast food packaging, single use condiments, straws and disposable cutlery. By eating at home you’ll reduce your waste and your waist line at the same time!

8. Store leftovers in glass jars

Increase freshness and reduce plastic consumption- this one is an easy step to minimise your plastic usage.

Adopting these steps will not only reduce your environmental footprint, but will also save you money in the long run! Sharing your tips and tricks for reducing plastic use with friends and family will educate and encourage others to do the same also!