7 Tips To Inspire You To Use Less Plastic!
There are all kinds of organisations and campaign groups helping people use less plastic on a day to day basis at the moment, and it's allowing more and more households to meet their ambitions of reducing single-use plastic waste in their wheelie bins.
Of course, there is a wide range of benefits from helping people use less plastic - from being kinder to the environment, to keeping plastic recycling bins from filling up so fast between collection days.
Here are a few ways to use less plastic in everyday life around the house, including some of the more recent innovations that are really gathering momentum as single-use plastic waste in particular becomes a key issue for environmentally aware households.
1. Avoid problem plastics
It seems like each week there's a new 'problem plastic' and avoiding these can make a big direct difference as part of wider efforts to use less plastic overall.
For example, plastic drinking straws have very quickly been replaced by paper straws in many pubs and restaurants, while metal drinking straws are an alternative for at home.
Plastic coffee pods are another problem plastic, as they are not easily recyclable, so consider buying loose filter coffee beans or even switching to a good quality instant coffee in glass jars.
2. Canvas and jute bags
Most of us now use reusable carrier bags, but these don't have to be made of plastic, and there are good reasons to use bags made of other materials.
Cotton, canvas and jute bags are strong, they last longer without ripping or tearing, the handles can be comfier to hold and they can be washable too, all without using plastic.
3. Refillable dispensers
Refillable dispensers around the house give you more options to shop for household products that don't use an unnecessary amount of plastic. Please click here to see our blog about our ex Eco Cleaning Fairy Mel and her 'Refill' stations that can be found around Liverpool.
Whether it's shampoo, hand soap or washing-up liquid, a refillable dispenser can look better and you can also save money as it means you can bulk-buy bigger refill bottles with less (and ideally no) plastic content.
4. No-plastic grocery stores
No-plastic grocery stores - and in some cases, zero-packaging supermarkets and general stores - are only just starting to appear in large numbers in the UK.
They represent a return to the old ways of shopping, when you could buy cleaning products, foodstuffs and other household items by weight, in any container you take in with you.
Although there are usually containers available if you don't have one of your own, it's a way of extending the reusable 'bag for life' principle across packaging as a whole - and a great way to eliminate some of the last remaining single-use plastics from eco-conscious homes.
5. That's a wrap
Last but by no means least, plastic films are easily eliminated. Kitchen foil is a recyclable alternative to cling film, while paper and tissue wrapping for gifts is also more recyclable than wrapping plastic films or plastic-based holographic wrap.
They're some of the lightest forms of plastic but eliminating them from everyday use all helps to improve sustainability by focusing on reusable materials in all aspects of day to day life.
6. Bin the rest and recycle
If you happen to have large amounts of plastic waste, make sure it is safely stored away in a wheelie bin ready to be transported to a recycling facility. Choose a bigger size, as the Wheelie Bin Solutions 1100 litre wheelie bin for fewer trips to the skip. Pick the colour of your choice or design a bespoke wheelie bin.
7.Take part in a local park or beach clean up
Check out your local friends of a park or beach pages on facebook to see when the next clean up is scheduled and go hang out with other local lovelies for a relaxing clean of your local nature spaces. Its a great way of being outside and meeting other people who care about our gorgeous planet!
Here is a pic of us at Waterloo beach last month!
We found this very relaxing way to be outside taking gorgeous fresh air into our lungs and doing something good for our planet!
To find about how you can use a cleaning service that reduces harsh chemicals going in our air and water systems click here. To ask us for a quote click here.
Eco Cleaning Fairies is a cleaning company based in Liverpool that offers domestic cleaning services, commercial cleaning services and one off deep cleans
We are passionate about the planet and do everything we can to use natural, kind to the planet products to get your space clean. We are always offering cleaning Jobs in Liverpool so click here if you are interested in becoming an Eco Cleaning Fairy.
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