Is this your first attempt to go plastic-free? Join the rest of the world on the Plastic Free July campaign with these easy everyday items that will make your life much more convenient!
Plastic Free July has everyone wanting to break up with plastic. But breaking up with plastic is hard to do. Even with good intentions, plastic still creeps into your home. The reality is, you can’t completely eliminate plastic in your life.
The good news is that just adopting these four simple tips will slash your plastic use forever. In fact, these are the habits that will ensure you never get back together with plastic even after Plastic Free July ends.
1. Quitting Plastic Bags
Is plastic-free shopping possible? Quitting plastic bags completely is impossible for most people, but reducing it is doable. Plastic bags are among the top 10 pollutants that dirty our ocean [Source]. It’s a good thing there’s an alternative to it, the ubiquitous reusable tote or eco bag. But eco-bags doesn’t serve their purpose when we forget them and leave them at home. When we go grocery shopping, make sure you take them with you.
The solution to quitting plastic shopping bags would be to have an eco bag with us at all times, whether we plan to buy anything or not. The tip here is to choose a thin and medium-sized eco bag so it’s easy to fold into a tiny square without bulking up. Place the folded eco bag inside your bag’s inner pocket. This discreet pocket gets ignored all the time, but a folded piece of eco-bag actually fits in there nicely.
Whether it’s a regular shopping trip or an emergency convenience store run we can always pull out our folded eco bag. Believe me, going plastic-free in your shopping alone will stem the flow of plastic into your home.
Explore some eco-bag options here:
Earth Hero (use the code OURGOODBRANDS for a 10% discount)
The guide to go plastic-free this July & all the year round!
2. Breaking Free From Water Bottles
Going plastic-free when you take a sip of water? That’s where most people start on their plastic-free journey. That’s because most people know just how many plastic bottles are polluting the environment. Plastic bottles are among the top 5 plastics that are polluting the ocean. Under this category, you’ll find classic water bottles, juice bottles, soda bottles.
The good news is that we can easily break free from plastic water bottles by just BYO water bottles. It’ll make your life more convenient because besides acting like a thirst quencher on standby when we need it, you also save time and money going to the shops.
Again, if you’re like me who always forget to bring one along, I have this habit that makes bringing my reusable water bottle a breeze. I include a water bottle in my “daily essentials” nook by the front door. It’s like making a visual checklist for my daily going out essentials, having everything in plain sight. My tip to not forget is to place the house keys, my phone, filled up the water bottle on an end table near the front door, so that when you step out of the house you can just grab everything on the end table, including your reusable water bottle.
Explore some reusable water bottle options here:
Earth Hero (use the code OURGOODBRANDS for a 10% discount)
Breaking free from bottled water will bring you one step closer to going plastic-free every day.
58 Plastic Free July tips on how to reduce your waste like a pro!
3. Saying Goodbye to Plastic Coffee Cups
Go plastic-free for your caffeine buzz. We get it, coffee runs are the fuel of every office worker. We just can’t start the day right without it. But what if your daily coffee runs ruin the Earth with that nasty single-use coffee cup?
When you rely on disposable coffee cups, you’re contributing to plastic pollution, mainly because those coffee cups are coated in plastic and can’t be recycled.
There’s a guilt-free way that’s gentler on the environment: BYO coffee cup. Bring your own thermal flask to your neighbourhood café. It keeps your coffee hot longer, it looks chic and most importantly it gives you a plastic-free caffeine buzz.
Explore some reusable water bottle options here:
Earth Hero (use the code OURGOODBRANDS for a 10% discount)
The guide to go plastic-free this July & all the year round!
4. Saying No to Straws
Did you know using a straw on your drink causes wrinkles and skin ageing? For many of us, that would be enough reason to give up on straws. Besides beauty reasons, using plastic straw also contributes to ocean pollution. In fact, it’s the top six culprits in polluting our ocean.
Say no to straws and drink straight from the glass or cup. Going straw-less on your drink not only keeps those fine lines at bay but will also help you hit your plastic-free goal.
Explore some reusable water bottle options here:
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- What is the difference between Degradable vs Biodegradable vs Compostable?
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- What are the most eco-friendly trash bags? [Quick Guide]
- One year. 4,490 plastic items: uncovering the recycling smokescreen
- Ditching Plastic with this Zero Waste Eco-store!
- Basics of a plastic-less life: easy ways to reduce your waste with Onya
