Introduction to PLASTIC FREE LIVING: How To Cut Out 80% of Your Plastic Use in a Few Easy Steps
Hello there humans!
Today we're talking about a topic that I'm super passionate about - you may remember I made a video 6 months ago saying that I was going to trial the plastic free lifestyle for 30 days.
I got hooked! I completely fell in love with that way of life. It's fun, it's responsible and it's an awesome way to give back.
You may feel like 1 person can't really make a difference, well take a listen to my sisters story:
“I actually convinced a restaurant owner to go plastic free after I had a conversation with him about plastic straws and the damage that they're doing to the ocean and the plastic straws that are ending up in Turtles noses.”
See! One person can make a very big impact :)
You’ll also find that when you're rocking your reusable bag and reusable utensils, your friends will start to notice. They will start catching on and thinking “hey, maybe I'll be a bit more careful about how I use plastic in my life”. Slowly but surely, their family and friends are affected by that as well and the ripple effect happens. It's really amazing to watch the transformation one person can create.
I really do think that it's super important that all of us jump onto the plastic free lifestyle right now, as we are in a bit of a crisis when it comes to plastic.
There is so much plastic around the world, that all of the untouched beaches you see in magazines and blogs, are now covered in rubbish.
If you have children, or if you're thinking about having children in the future, you really have to think about leading a plastic free life because there’s a chance that maybe they won't ever experience a plastic free Beach in their lifetime. If that's not scary, then I seriously don't know what is.
Without further ado, here are some tips that I've learned over the 6 months of plastic free living, that I would like to pass on to you!
WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
1. A reusable cup for coffee, tea, or any drinks on the run.
2. A stainless steel cutlery set (but make sure you take out the knife whenever you are traveling as they might take it off you - I learned that the hard way)
3. I also have a little special pen that I absolutely adore and treasure. I carry it with me everywhere so I don’t have to use plastic pens.
4. Tupperware containers! They are optional, but they're really great for food on the go and snacks. The same goes for jars, they're great for food or drinks on the run.
5. A reusable water bottle of course! This is the Grayl water bottle, it has the best water filter in the entire world. It is hardcore stuff, you can filter water anywhere in the world, which means you're replacing water bottles in the hardest places to get water. You don't have to be concerned about being sick - it's a life changer!
6. A reusable shopping bag.
7. A metal straw is always an option, but I just don't use straws at all anymore.
8. The beeswax wrap. This thing is so crazy cool, it replaces cling wrap! I highly recommend them to keep your food nice and fresh in your fridge.
9. You'll probably need a little bit of an assertive attitude as well. If you are nervous to ask for no straws in your drinks for example, you might just have to push that aside (again, think of the children of the future! Think about the clean beaches and you will hopefully be okay to speak up).
In the beginning, I was a little bit nervous to talk to people about the plastic free lifestyle. I didn't want to look like I was intruding or being rude or pushy. We’re just trying to do a good thing here and help mother nature to survive, so I started becoming more assertive and polite about it.
Make people question plastic. You need to make people aware that plastic is not the best or only choice.
TRAVEL RELATED GOODS:
1. Headphones
I have my headphones with me all the time to avoid using the crappy plastic ones they offer you on planes and tours. If you are one of these people that tends to lose their headphones, I would suggest investing in a more expensive pair. You will not be losing these babies!
2. Prepared food
It is a bit of a pain in the butt to prepare your food for flights, but it's healthier for you and to be completely honest, airplane food isn't good for you and you’re also cutting down on plastic - which is the whole aim of the game!
This is where your Tupperware container comes in handy! It does require a little bit of preparation though, so if you don't have the time to prepare all your food in advance, you can still bring your cutlery set, your cup and your reusable water bottle on board.
You can hand the plastic option straight back to the staff when they're handing you food. If you hand it back at the end when you've eaten everything it doesn't look hygienic anymore so make sure you hand it straight back to them and say “hey I'm trying to live the plastic free lifestyle so I'm just gonna give this back to you, can you please reuse this?”. They actually really appreciate it these days! The world is becoming more conscious and it's making me so freakin happy!
3. Plastic Bags for Security
You can get a more sturdy plastic bag that allows you to reuse it over and over again, instead of just having a one-time-use plastic bag.
4. Shop Locally Grown Food
Some areas of the world (for example, Asia and Iceland) import a lot of plastic packaged food! They are usually imported foods, so unfortunately they kind of have to be wrapped, but the best thing you can do to combat this problem is a try to avoid those foods and shop for the locally grown goods.
Not only are you supporting the local people in the country, but they are usually cheaper and plastic free.
If you eat meat or fish, you can take your Tupperware containers and ask them to put the fish or meat in there because it is better for the environment - and you don't want to store your fish or meat in plastic anyway.
5. Straws
Wherever you go, you have to ask for no straws when you're ordering drinks. Sometimes they bring it with straws anyway unfortunately, but all you have to do is tell them they can take it back. Of course you can bring a metal straw or a bamboo straw if you need it for medical reasons.
6. Rubbish Bags
When it comes to plastic bags sometimes we really need them for rubbish and so forth, but did you know that you can literally just put your garbage into a trash can without plastic bags? I actually never thought of this before!
Then simply wash your garbage bin whenever they take the rubbish away. If you really need to use garbage bags, you can find awesome compostable ones. They decompose so quickly, I literally put anything in there and within a couple of days it's starting to fall apart. So when you're shopping look out for proper compostable bags not the ones that takes months or years to decompose.
ACCOMODATION:
I know it's fun to stay in accommodation where you have all these little goodies (tiny shampoo, conditioner etc), but if you leave them completely untouched the cleaners don't have to replace them and they can be used on different customers.
Don’t take the plastic water bottles from the room, just boil your water or use your trusty Grayl reusable bottle!
TOILETRIES:
I'm slowly replacing everything in my toiletries bag to be plastic free and figuring out more solutions. Of course I have my bamboo toothbrush and all my shampoo and soap conditioners are metal.
I had a little plastic bottle from a previous product, but I didn't want to throw it out without proper use, so I've been using it for the past 6 to 8 months to hold my coconut oil. This can be used as makeup remover, moisturizer for my face and moisturizer for my body (oh the wonders of coconut oil).
The Baiden Mitten is the best exfoliant on the market, You can literally see rolls of skin coming off you when you are using it. It has saved my skin from horrible crazy skin conditions and I highly recommend it! I have been selling this for 8 years or something so you know how much I love it.
MY BAG:
This might be my favorite part! I have a little carry bag that I carry with me all the time. I thought it was bit nerdy at first, but people always tell me how much they love this thing! It's just a simple bum bag (or as Americans call it - a fanny pack). I can clip on my water bottle and store all of my utensils inside. Comment down below and let me know what you think - cool or nerdy? :-P
Those are my tips for the plastic free life! It is actually a really fun lifestyle that you will grow to fall in love with. You do need a tiny little bit more preparation, but at the end of the day, you get to feel good about yourself and know that you're contributing to the world, which is super super important.
Small steps make a huge difference for the world that we are living in today. If you are reading this, you are one of the lucky ones that can make a difference. You are now aware so please take some action to live a plastic free life.
Make sure to comment below if this is something that you think you can do, which part is your favorite and which is the smallest and simplest change you can do right now to start living this lifestyle.
Until next time guys!