Plastic, in many forms, has infiltrated the lives of everyone on the planet. Yet, there are many alternatives to the plastic products we consider necessary in our lives. Reducing, and even eliminating, plastic is feasible, and below are lots of tips to help you continue your Plastic Free Pledge now, and beyond the month of July! Some are common, while others may inspire new ways to kick your plastic habit.
Our grocery stores are packed with plastic packaging, and plastic grocery bags are a huge contributor to plastic waste! Restaurants often offer plastic straws, utensils, and take out containers. Eliminating plastic by way of how we purchase and store food can have an amazing environmental impact. Read below for tips to reduce and eliminate plastic from food products:
Take your own leftover container to restaurants to avoid plastic or styrofoam options and reduce waste!
Refuse plasticware often given out for takeout meals.
Make fresh squeezed juice or eat fruit instead of buying juice in plastic bottles. It's healthier and better for the environment.
Buy foods such as yogurt and cheese in bulk and divide into reusable single serve containers, or make your own! This is true for many pre-packaged, single-use items.
Choose to eat your ice cream in a cone instead of with a plastic spoon in a plastic cup.
Avoid buying frozen foods because their packaging is mostly plastic. Even those that appear to be cardboard are coated in a thin layer of plastic. Plus you'll be eating fewer processed foods!
Many items come in glass packaging instead of plastic. Buy glass options for items such as condiments, sauces, baby food, spices, salsas, juices, and apple sauce.
Buy fresh items such as bread, that come bagless or in paper bags.
Return plastic containers for berries, cherry tomatoes, etc. to a farmer’s market to be reused.
Choose plastic free chewing gum!
Our homes are filled with plastic products. We can use alternatives to these plastics, and they may event hold up better and last longer too! Read below for tips on how to change purchasing habits and find creative alternatives to reduce plastic use in your home:
Use reusable shopping bags and produce bags. Don’t forget these can be taken to retail stores, not just the grocery store!
Use metal, silicone, paper, or bamboo straws instead of plastic options. Refuse plastic straws at restaurants!
Always have a reusable water bottle, tumbler, or other drink container to refill so you can avoid plastic single-use bottles. Reusable coffee mugs also reduce a tremendous amount of waste!
Replacing paper napkins with cloth alternatives not only reduces waste, but keeps the plastic used to package paper napkins out of landfills.
Plastic food wrap can be eliminated by choosing to use beeswax wrap instead. There are even easy ways to make your own!
Plastic snack bags can be replaced by switching to reusable containers, or cloth snack bags.
Use matches instead of disposable plastic lighters or invest in a refillable metal lighter.
Make your own cleaning products, or buy concentrated formulas, and eliminate the need for multiple plastic bottles.
Buy boxed items instead of bottled. Items such as laundry and dishwasher detergent come in a boxed option, and can be more easily recycled. If you have to buy a plastic packaged item, buy in bulk to reduce packaging waste!
Much like food products, personal care products are often packaged in plastic. We can replace disposable products with those meant to last longer, and choose options that are not packaged in plastic while still meeting our personal care needs! Read below for tips on accomplishing this:
The EPA estimates that 7.6 billion pounds of disposable diapers are discarded in the US each year. Use cloth diapers to reduce your baby's carbon footprint and save money.
Use a razor with replaceable blades instead of a disposable razor
Switch from disposable plastic toothbrushes to biodegradable bamboo ones.
Use a natural loofah instead of a disposable plastic one!
Read the label of personal care products. Avoid anything with “polyethylene” listed as an ingredient.
Use bar soap instead of liquid soap packaged in plastic bottles. Same goes for shampoo! Opt for a solid bar alternative.
Choose lotions and lip balms in plastic free containers.
Eliminating plastic can seem like a daunting task, but don’t be discouraged! Find the non-plastic options that work best for your life, there are so many available!