Many items in todays world are constructed using plastic, but this durable material was incorporated into many items only intended to have a single or small amount of use. Examples of these are coffee cups, toothbrushes, plastic bags, cutlery, water bottles, milk cartons and so on. However, though we may hear a lot of this, we rarely hear how to combat this growing problem.
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'Simple Steps to Reduce Our Waste'
What Can We Do?
- Handkerchiefs instead of tissues.
- Woven Cloths instead of paper towels.
- Glass or stainless steel containers over plastic pots.
- Steel or glass water bottles over plastic water bottles.
- Bamboo toothbrush instead of plastic toothbrushes.
- Reusable bags (Uniqlo have bags which are made from 9 plastic bottles) as a substitute for plastic bags.
- Use Ecosia as a search engine, this plants trees using the income from ads every time you search the web
- Steel or acrylic straws instead of plastic straws
- Print double sided to save trees ☺
- Take a reusable coffee cup when you go to Costa, Starbucks, etc.
There are some available from Starbucks for £1 and you get 25p of your drink. That means by your fourth drink you’ll have got that cup essentially for free and helped our oceans. There are many more ways to reduce waste these are just the basics
Where Do We Find These Alternatives?
Many of these items can be found in places like Holland and Barrett, but if you do not have access to one near you, or can’t find what you’re looking for there are lots of websites that cater to zero-waste enthusiasts. Some of these items are extremely cheap compared to normal everyday products. Such as on AliExpress a bamboo toothbrush costs 40-50p but if you’re looking at Boots, two plastic toothbrushes can cost you £9. 00! Lush is a very vocal company when it comes to waste. They’re taking action in many ways such as after you’ve used six pots you bring them in to receive a free facemask. And the pots are returned back to the factory to be constructed into the pinafores they use. They also combat the problem of packaging by making package free shampoos, soaps, body wash and much more. But what’s surprising is that you can start saving the planet by making your own natural remedies for things like a cold rather than reaching straight for a pack of pills. There are also ways to make cosmetics, lotion, scrubs and even deodorant. This shows that with a little time and effort, you can give back to planet earth.
