Following on from my #NoWasteNovember blog post, for which I took part in a brilliant campaign by Jane Goodall’s Roots and Shoots programme to reduce the amount of plastic waste I dispose of, I’ve received some great feedback from my blog readers asking for more information and suggestions for reducing plastic waste.
My #NoWasteNovember pledge was to use washable nappies, liners and pads with my new baby daughter — and almost four months in, it’s actually been an easy pledge to stick to, thanks to my early shopping spree with Babi Pur!
In fact, I’ve been so inspired with the ease and lack of fuss it’s caused, that I’m even investigating eco-friendly feminine hygiene products. But for my non-gender-specific, non-parent-specific tips to living a greener lifestyle, check out my top 5 easy ways to reduce plastic waste below…
1. Swap plastic straws for reusable steel
By now we’ve all heard the horror stories of plastic making it’s way into the sea — 8 million tonnes of it a year, in fact, is dumped into our oceans — and there are some horrifying videos online of how some of this impacts our planet’s wildlife. From seabird autopsies that reveal stomachs full of coloured fragments of the stuff, to a sea turtle struggling and writhing in pain as a plastic straw is pulled from its nostril; the very real, very emotive reasons to make a change are clear — which is why I love these stainless steel reusable straws.
Suitable for hot or cold beverages, these straws are available to order from ecostrawz and come with a wire cleaning brush so that you can use them over and over again. In some parts of the ocean it’s estimated that there are over half a million pieces of plastic for every square kilometre, so even reusable plastic straws are a no-go for me!
2. Bamboo toothbrushes
One billion plastic toothbrushes are thrown away each year in the United States alone! That’s more than 22 million kilograms annually!
As plastics breakdown into micro plastics, they cause toxins to build up throughout the food chain — which ultimately contaminate the milk of marine mammals at the top of the food chain. Sometimes this is so bad, the contaminated milk kills the young.
Plastic toothbrushes are a major culprit in ocean plastic waste, so making the change to an eco-friendly bamboo brush is a great way to reduce the number of plastic toothbrushes we’re estimated to throw away in our lifetimes (300 approximately). The Giving Brush are giving away their rainbow-themed brush for FREE right now, so there’s no reason not to jump onboard with this one!
3. 100% Compostable phone case
A new favourite find of mine — eco-friendly phone cases! How many of us hold a phone case in our hands every single day? I’m willing to bet that most people in the western world carry one of these around without even thinking about it! I know it certainly hadn’t occurred to me that this is just another way that we’re buying, using and disposing of plastic, which is why I think it’s such a great idea!
These particular cases are 100% compostable and free from plastic packaging! Plus a donation is made from each sale to various environmental initiatives. Pela currently have a buy one get one half price sale on too.
4. Reusable drinks bottle
Glass or stainless steel are my top choice in material for reusable water bottles. 16 million plastic bottles go un-recycled in the UK every day, choking our rivers and ultimately destroying ocean habitats for our marine life.
Even reusable plastic bottles are likely to end up being disposed of eventually, and after reading about the risks of some reusable plastic bottles containing the controversial chemical Bisphenol A (BPA) – which is thought to interfere with sex hormones — I personally choose to stick with stainless steel! Thehut.com currently have a 3 for £20 deal on.
5. Plastic bottle pick-up (and join Lilly’s Global Clean-Up Day!)
The photograph below shows the plastic bottles I picked up on a short 15-minute or so walk to my local shops with my daughter. The amount of plastic bottles that litter our streets, fields and rivers genuinely still surprises me!
Luckily, there are some plastic pollution heroes out there like nine-year old Lilly, who are willing to go that extra mile. Lilly is a Child Ambassador for HOW Global and a Youth Ambassador for Plastic Pollution Coalition and is this year dedicating her birthday as a day for everyone to pick-up plastic from the environment!
#LillysGlobalCleanUpDay will take place on 18 April, and Lilly has challenged everyone to pick-up plastic on this day to help make the world a better, safer place. What an amazing wish for a 10th birthday! See her Twitter page @lillyspickup for the full video. Why wait though? Pick up some plastic and tweet today!
Top tip: A 2 Minute Tip To Reduce Your Plastic Use
Discover more eco-friendly products
- Discover Top 5 swaps for Plastic Free July!
- Learn about Gorilla Socks: the bamboo socks helping to save gorillas
- Read about my #NoWasteNovember switch to using cloth nappies
Learn more about Roots & Shoots projects inspiring change
LOVE these ideas, thank you! This should be taught in school… all of this.
Thank you Sheryl. I work at Nat Geo Kids for my day job, and we do have some amazing school resources on plastic waste: https://www.natgeokids.com/uk/primary-resource/plastic-pollution-primary-resource/ I agree that it’s so important to share these ideas to children.
We use reuseable water bottles and I have the stainless steel water bottles but I had never heard of toothbrushes made of bamboo. Those are intriguing.
Thank you for your comment. Well done with making the switch to reusable bottles. Bamboo toothbrushes are definitely a good alternative to plastic. Let me know if you try them out.