5 Easy Hacks For A Plastic Free July
Plastic is getting a rough ride lately and quite rightly so. It contributes to landfill, pollutes the oceans, threatens marine life and feeds its way into our food chains. On a daily basis we come across a huge amount of single use plastic just going about our daily lives and who can blame us? Plastic is everywhere, readily available, easy and convenient. It's our takeaway coffee, our packaged lunch, our water bottle and so on. But what can we do?
Well Plastic Free July has started. It's a yearly challenge and a global movement that empowers people all over the world to choose to refuse single use plastics. That's all you have to do. Give up plastic that you use once and throw away for the month of July. It encourages us all to think about how we use plastic and reduce the amount of plastic we use by changing our behaviours and using alternatives. If you haven't started the challenge, here are 5 easy hacks for a plastic free July. Need some inspiration? Read this quote by Sir David Attenborough and remember we all have the power to contribute to change and make a difference.
“We are at a unique stage in our history. Never before have we had such an awareness of what we are doing to the planet and never before have we had the power to do something about that. Surely we have a responsibility to care for our blue planet, the future of humanity and indeed all life on earth now depends on us.”
Reusable Water Bottles
Who can't resist these ever so stylish reusable water bottles by Stay Sixty. Designed in trendy Dalston, each bottle is beautifully crafted from BPA-free stainless steel coated in a unique rubberised paint to look and feel great in your hand. Available in Coal and Stone for the boys with cool packaging to boot!
The Final Straw
If you're looking for an alternative to the plastic straw, these reusable, handmade bamboo straws from Earthly Gleam are perfect. 100% biodegradable, these organic bamboo straws are handmade in Bali and great for both hot & cold drinks. They're resistant to rot, odourless and tasteless too so your drinks don't taste weird. Comes with a handy brush cleaner.
Reusable Coffee Cups
Can't function without your early morning latte? No problem. This pretty reusable bamboo cup available from Komodo Fashion, is made from sustainable bamboo fibre, is BPA and phthalate free and dishwasher safe.
Ditch the Supermarket Lunch
Make your own sandwich and wrap it in these beautiful handmade, reusable, biodegradable Beeswax Wraps. These nifty wraps not only seal your food tight (its the pine resin) they don't leach any nasties into your food. Plus, they're made from natural ingredients which means they keep your food fresher. I think these can get seriously addictive!
Ditch the plastic bags
Although there's been a huge reduction in the use of plastic bags, wouldn't it be great to carry an alternative that actually looks stylish. Cue our Provence tote bags. Each bag is made from around 50 recycled plastic bottles, is waterproof, hard wearing and resistant to red wine, beach outings and shopping trips. Scandinavian inspired these roomy shoulder bags have sturdy leather handles and are great for everyday toting. A great example of how innovative recycling can be.