It’s Time to Go Plastic and Waste Free

To avoid the destination, we need to change what happens on the journey.

More and more people are realising the impact that they, and the wider community, are having on the environment. While it may seem like one person can’t make a difference, if multiple ‘one persons’ began making changes, you would notice.

The issue? The large majority, particularly of those people in charge, still don’t believe there is a problem. With changes in weather and the climate, the rising cost of living, the rapid degradation of environmental landmarks and the increase in extinction rates of a range of animal species, now is the time to start making changes.

Dramatic much? Not in the slightest. As many have pointed out previously, there is no Planet B, and while we may not suffer the consequences of our actions, our children will. Too little too late some people may say, or that nothing is even wrong, but unless we each try to make a difference we won’t know whether we CAN make a difference.

So what do we do? Every journey has a small beginning, so start simple and try going plastic free. Remove single use plastic from your life e.g. plastic bags, plastic straws, glad wrap etc. and replace it with items that you can use again and again, or at the very least can actually be recycled.

In my own home I have done the following:

• Replaced all shopping bags with reusable cloth bags both second-hand and bought
• Bought cloth produce bags for fruit and vegetable purchases
• Silicone wraps/covers and beeswax wraps to replace glad wrap
• Reusable plastic or glass containers for everything
• Reusable takeaway coffee cups (both glass and metal)
• Metal straws
• Bamboo cutlery to take out
• Hankies to carry around in my pocket
• A silicone cup to replace disposable sanitary items
• Washable bamboo wipes for removing makeup and cleaning my face
• Bamboo toothbrushes.

As you can see, the options to go waste and plastic free are there and the list is extensive.

With countless resources available to us – eco-friendly products and brands, advice, information, help – now is as good a time as any to start. I know, even with the changes I have made, that there is plenty more that can be done and that I will attempt to do, but all we need to do is start somewhere and make the changes where we can.

I’m on a journey to go plastic and waste free and do what I can to reduce my impact on the environment (while also improving my own life), so stay tuned for each part of my journey as I go attempt to make every room in the house plastic and waste free.

If you really aren’t sure where to start and need some inspiration, I would suggest getting a copy of A Zero Waste Life by Anita Vandyke. A high earning engineer who had recently quit her job, Anita started her own plastic-free journey as much out of necessity as anything else. The book is short, simple and easy to follow, the perfect beginners guide to reducing plastic and waste in any home!

You might also want to check out the below Instagram accounts:

• @seedandsproutco
• @thezerowasteguide
• @rocket_science
• @biomestores