10 Easy Ways To Reduce Plastic

If you’re like me and are absolutely devastated at the very harsh reality of the plastic pollution, not just in our landfills – but our beautiful oceans, you’ll be pleased to know that I’ve created an easy to follow list of ways to help save our incredible planet.

I feel like the majority of the people in the world could follow this list, I get that you can’t cut plastic out completely and I’ve read a few articles that almost shame people who still use it. I don’t agree with that since plastic is literally EVERYWHERE, you’re never going to be able to cut it out completely or be able to recycle every single bit of it. However, I do think that small changes in your every day life can lead to more positive changes along the way.

This list below is something I’m currently doing and following, there are probably 40 more things I could add to this list that I’d love to say I am able to follow but at the minute I’m trying to ease myself in, instead of going into a full force plastic free life.

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1. Bottles

Instead of buying bottled water to store in the fridge, why not pop down to ikea where they sell these 1 litre bad boys for the teeny tiny price of £2. Saving money and the planet.

2. Toothbrush

I bought my biodegradable Humble bamboo toothbrush from Holland and Barrett for £3.99 link HERE, granted they are slightly more expensive than their £1 plastic cousins but I read a really scary statistic not that long ago that got me thinking.. 850 MILLION toothbrushes end up in landfill every year and that’s just in America alone! I’ve had MANY in my time as I am OCD when it comes to teeth, so do yourself and the world a favour!

3. Fabric bags

Going back around 6 years, I saw the love of my life Matt Corby on stage in Sheffield and without hesitating I bought a cloth merch bag. At the time I didn’t realise just how much I’d use it! I take it everywhere with me in my actual handbag and use it for whenever I buy anything. You might not be as cool as I am with my well loved Matt Corby bag but there are some really amazing cloth bags out there, these are my faves at the minute Dans Le Sac they’re a French Canadian company but their designs are beautiful!

4. Straws

THE DEVIL PLASTIC! I can’t even tell you how much I hate straws, the poor bartenders who have gone to put one or even more in my cocktails and I’ve almost chomped down on their heads (apologies). If you insist on having a straw, these guys at EcoStrawz do a great bamboo version that comes with an easy wire cleaner as I know it grosses some people out. I also know that people who have disabilities or sensitive teeth need straws and so I would highly recommend these eco friendly little gems! Once you’ve had your fun with them and are ready to toss them away, you can sleep well at night knowing they are completely biodegradable.

5. Give up the plastic cutlery

This to me is an easy one, if you know you’re going to be going out and buying food that requires cutlery then why not take your own! Or keep a set on you at all times if you are someone that tends to buy food from those kinda places..

6. Coffee mug

It’s not a new thing people using coffee cups BUT I know a few repeat offenders who will leave them at home instead of washing them and putting them back in their bags ready to go. Unfortunately most coffee cups are made from plastic but you can get really cool eco friendly versions like this one.. obviously I chose the black one but these guys at ecoffeecup make some really amazing designs!

6. Buy fresh food and take tuppawear

I know this is still essentially using plastic, BUT on the whole, you’re still using way less than what you would be if you were to buy things covered in the hateful stuff. Buying fresh is way healthier, you’re helping out your local independent shops like the butchers/grocery stores, putting your fresh food in your reusable tuppawear and you can go home feeling like you’ve done something good. And if you usually buy lunch out, why not try making food at home and taking it in a lunch box (no clingfilm!) Ikea do these really handy lunch boxes that have 2 or 3 tiers and come with a spoon and fork – again, plastic but reusable!

7. Use bar soap instead of liquid

I’m yet to do this as I still have a mountain of liquid soap in my dispenser still BUT when I do finally get to purchase a lovely smelly soap it will be one from these bad boys from Lush. Lush products are some of my favourites and their soaps come package free (when bought in store)! Check the link for Honey I Washed The Kids HERE

8. Create your own beauty products or swap your empties in store

So I know for definite that Mac and Lush have their own scheme in place where you can take your empties back and get a free product. Mac give you a free lipstick of your choice in return for 6 full sized empty products. Lush ask for 4 and will give you a free face mask. Definitely worth doing!

9. Light a candle instead of using an air freshener

I mean, I have so many candles around my flat I’d be considered a fire hazard. I find the smell of air fresheners incredibly over powering and really chemically. Candles look beautiful, smell amazing and can keep you feeling warm and snug on those colder nights. I buy literally all of my candles from ikea (my fave store) but when I run out and can’t be bothered hiking across the north west to that big blue and yellow store of dreams, I go to Primark. Cheap, cheerful and they do the job just fine.

10. And finally – Switch to mailing lists so you don’t get sent mail – same for receipts!

This is possibly the easiest one on the list! Some banks have an option that you can just click on their apps now. You simply switch to email statements and you no longer get sent those annoying letters about retirement policy’s or new bank accounts that you don’t want. This is the same in stores, ask for the receipt to be mailed to you and if they sign you up for promotions you don’t want to see, just unsubscribe at the bottom of the email.

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By 2050 (in our lifetime) there will be as much plastic in our oceans as fish. This absolutely horrifies me and honestly keeps me up at night knowing that big companies could do so much more to turn this around, but instead it’s people like me and you that are made to feel bad about the fact we cant live a life without the man made material.

Even though we may not be able to live without it YET, we can still make those small but significant changes to help this planet and it’s beautiful animals.