1. Keep Leaf cotton produce bags - set of 4
2. Stainless steel straw - single
3. Hemp reusable food wraps - set of 3
4. Sunkissed (bag 3) - envirosax omnisax reusable shopping bag
5. S'well insulated stainless steel bottle 260ml - silver lining
6. Soap nuts 250gm + wash net
7. KeepCup brew limited edition cork 12oz (340ml) - press
8. Beauty & the Bees shampoo bar - tasmanian wild leaves
There is no doubt that going plastic free can be quite a challenge. But the many alternatives available now days make it easier to replace single use plastic products. All it takes is a little discipline to remember to use the alternatives and make sure you carry them with you.
For example:
1. Keep Leaf cotton produce bags are the perfect replacement for plastic grocery bags when you buy your fruit & veg. They are small enough to fit into your purse or pocket when you visit the local farmers markets or supermarket. Reusable produce bags are one of the best plastic alternatives to keep plastic bags out of landfill, because these plastic bags are usually too small to reuse and they can accumulate so quickly!
2. Replacing something as simple as a plastic straw with a reusable straw can make a huge impact on the environment. A single straw may seem quite harmless but when you consider them in their billions being used just once to deliver your tasty beverage it becomes quite tragic. As with all of these alternatives it simply takes the discipline to remember to carry your Stainless steel straw with you or simply say no to a straw as you order a drink.
3. The idea of using plastic wrap to cover your leftovers is so last millennium! Hemp reusable food wraps are fast becoming a sustainable alternative to cling wrap. Hemp fabric is coated in beeswax to make it flexible enough to mold onto a large bowl or wrap your half eaten cucumber. At room temperature they are flexible but stiffen when refrigerated whilst still holding their shape. Another great alternative to plastic wrap is our waste free sandwich wraps and bags that help save tons of trash ending up in landfill each year.
4. OK so who doesn't have a reusable shopping bag? It's only a matter of remembering to take it shopping with you, right? I find having attractive bags, that are also easy to fold and fit in my purse is my fail safe way of always having them with me. My favourite are envirosax omnisax reusable shopping bags with so many great styles to choose from.
5. It's wonderful how the practice of carrying a reusable water bottle has become a way of life these days. Again, the discipline of remembering to take it with you is the only challenge. Carrying a stylish bottle that is easy to carry, is leak proof so you can carry it in your bag and being made from good quality safe materials is the key to a good water bottle. That's why I've chosen the S'well insulated stainless steel bottle to feature here. It ticks all the boxes and then some.
6. Just 250gm of Soap nuts are good for 100-200 wash loads, or four to eight months worth of laundry which means a lot of plastic bottles saved! Soap Nuts can be also be used as detergent, body wash and shampoo, car wash, pet wash and carpet and upholstery cleaner... Imagine the plastic you would save by making your own cleaning products and reusing the bottles you already have on hand for laundry detergent or shampoo. If making your own shampoo seems too hard try our Beauty & the Bees shampoo bar for another plastic free alternative.
7. The biggest impact you can have on reducing plastic waste is to remember to carry a reusable coffee cup. Most people don't realize that disposable paper cups are made from bleached paper sprayed with a polyethylene coating, and impregnated with toxic dyes which mean they can not be recycled. Australians use approximately 500 million disposable cups a year! KeepCups are now being made from glass with colourful silicone lids and bands. Once you have used a Keep Cup 15 times over a disposable cup, you have reached the break even point on its life cycle. Every use after that is a bonus for the planet!
To reduce your plastic consumption just takes some discipline by remembering to carry your plastic free alternatives with you at all times.
