Plastic Free July Challenge – Plastic Straw Alternatives

Plastic straws are a big problem globally, as we use approximately 10 million straws every single day. What is worse is that we only use a single straw for 10-20 minutes before throwing it away and leaving it to go to landfill or wash away in our oceans, threatening wildlife.

However, there are ways we reduce this impact.

One way is to practice saying no. This means that when we go to a bar or a restaurant that offers you a straw with your drink, you politely let them know that you will skip having a straw. This practice will encourage businesses to listen to their customers and be more eco-friendly. This may mean they will swap plastic straws for paper ones or ditch straws completely!

Another way to reduce this impact is to use a Stainless steel straw. Stainless steel straws are very trendy at the moment, as they are a reusable product, and look beautiful! If you do enjoy using straws but want to be more environmentally conscious, then this may be the way to go. They come in a variety of colors, come with a straw cleaner and a cute pouch to put them in. Carry this straw in your bag and when your out for a drink, whip it out and you won’t need no plastic straw!

Do you know of any ways to help this issue? If so, please comment below! We would love to hear your thoughts.

 

 

 

Plastic Free July Challenge – Eco Alternatives for the Bathroom

Did you know, that in Australia 80,000 plastic toothbrushes end up in landfill every single day?

Yeah, that is a pretty scary number…bamboo toothbrush

To reduce this impact, there are toothbrushes made from bamboo that we can use instead! Usually, the bamboo toothbrushes bristles are made from nylon but they can be recycled (check with your local waste collection). The best way to dispose of the brush is to pull out the bristles, or cut off the head, and pop the handle in the composter.

To get yours, click here!

 

What about your toothpaste?

To add on to the eco bathroom alternatives, lets look into toothpaste! It would rock your mind a little to think you can have toothpaste in something that wasn’t plastic, but it has now been done! It is a thing called DENT tabs, which are small toothpaste tablets. Plastic free and zero waste. You simply pop them in your mouth, add a little bit of water and then you can brush away! They come with fluoride too, to help prevent tooth decay and sensitivity.

To get yours, click here!

 

 

Plastic-free July Challenge – Cling Wrap Alternatives

Cling wrap is a very popular product that has been used for a very long time, since 1949 in fact, due to its convenience and efficiency in preserving our food. However, despite its benefits it is a plastic, a single-use plastic that is, and so it is not very environmentally friendly.

To help reduce our plastic use, finding a cling wrap alternative is a great start. Fortunately, there are numerous ways we can do this.

Before we do, I would like to touch on the topic of ‘misleading marketing’. I was pretty mislead the other day when I found a degradable version of cling wrap found at Woolworths and Coles.

I assumed the cling wrap was made from a plant-based material and was able to degrade once disposed of. What I found out, only recently was that degradable means the product can degrade without the use of micro-organisms or bacteria, rather it degrades into micro-plastics. Micro-plastics are very small fragments of plastic that have been broken down. This is not environmentally sustainable as these plastic fragments can still be harmful to the environment and animals, as they can enter the food chain due to their small size and can still contaminate soil and waterways.

Biodegradable is also a term that can be misleading, because everything biodegrades eventually. In the US, they prohibit the term ‘biodegradable’ to be used on any product unless it can break down into natural elements with the help of micro-organisms, within 5 years. However in Australia, we do not have such legislation and so companies are able to label their plastic bags as biodegradable which is very misleading to the consumer.

Compostable is the phrase we are looking for, as they leave no micro-plastics or toxic residues behind and can be put into a compost bin or organics recycling bin to decompose. The products that are compostable are usually made from plant sources such as sugar cane or vegetable fibers.

Image Source: https://biobagworld.com.au/misleading-labelling/misleading-degradable-and-biodegradable-plastic-bags

Now! Back to finding cling wrap alternatives…

Tip Number 1: TUPPERWARE

Tupperware is a great alternative to cling wrap. Though tupperware is made of plastic, it can be re-used, many, many times, rather then used once and immediately thrown away. When you are finished using the tupperware, it can still be recycled.

Tip Number 2: BEESWAX WRAPS

Beeswax wraps are a great alternative to cling wrap as they are reusable for up to 8-12 months! Make sure you wash them after use, and that is all is needed! They are made from beeswax, tree resin, and jojoba oil to create a flexible, slightly sticky wrap perfect for storing food.

To get yours, click here

Tip Number 3: REUSABLE SANDWICH BAGS

This has a very similar concept to the first two options. It is a reusable product that is used to store food, not only for sandwiches, but anything that will fit in it!

To get yours, click here

Reusable Products

Overall, I think you can see the pattern here.

Plastic is so harmful to our environment because it is used very commonly as a single-use product and because it does not degrade naturally, it accumulates to dangerous levels in our environment.

In order to reduce your plastic use, finding options that are REUSABLE is the key!