Plastic pollution is a hot topic at the moment, I couldn’t tell you how many posts I’ve seen recently from businesses who have stopped offering plastic straws for one. It’s great to see that eco friendly alternatives are being more widely discussed and are much more readily available these days. With it being #PlasticFreeJuly I thought I’d share some of the switches and changes that we have made. I must say that I am in no way an eco-expert and I’m not claiming to be perfectly eco, just someone trying to do a little bit to help, however small that may be!

Shampoo Bars – This was probably the 1st conscious change I made to reduce my plastic usage. I tend to wash my hair more or less daily so I get through a fair amount of shampoo. The bars do take a little bit of getting used to at first because they are different to regular shampoo but once I got use to them they have just became the norm for me. Read my review on the Lamazuna pine shampoo bar here

Bamboo Toothbrushes – It is advised that we should change our toothbrushes every 3 months. This means 4 brushes per person per year going into landfill. One reason that bamboo brushes are more eco friendly than their plastic counterparts is that they are made from a sustainable, natural, plant based material. Bamboo is also biodegradable and I also really like the natural look and feel of bamboo brushes. Click here to see the one I’m currently using. They work just as well any other toothbrushes so no sacrifice made by that switch!

Plastic Free Deodrant – This is my most recent switch in fact it only arrived last week. I’m currently using one by a brand called Ben & Anna. It’s a solid stick deodrant and the casing is made from paper and contains no plastic which means it’s fully recyclable. It’s available in 7 different scents and I went for the Pink Grapefruit. Some eco and natural deodrants can take some getting use to but so far so good with this one. I have high hopes for this one as I’ve heard really good things about it. It’s the best weather to test it in with the recent heatwave.

Muslin Cloths & Cotton Make Up Wipes – I stopped using disposable make up removing wipes about 6 years ago, mainly because I’d heard they were bad for your skin. I started using muslin cloths and a cream cleanser and my skin definitely improved because of it. Muslin cloths also feel like they give my skin a light exfoliation. I’ve also stopped using cotton wool pads and have switched to cotton make up pads for things like toner but I do sometimes also use these for make up removal with my cleanser and they are great for around the eye area as they are much softer than muslin. It’s a bonus that you never need to remember to buy wipes and in the long run it’s saving some pennies.

Beeswax Wraps – I only used cling film occasionally when leftovers needed covering etc. so thought I’d give Beeswax wraps a go. I don’t think I’d ever go back if I’m being honest, cling film is just a big ffaf most of the time. I always found it difficult to get it off the roll without it tearing and when I managed to, it would often bunch up. Beesewax wraps are already cut so need to worry about that part and they are more rigid meaning they are so much easier to work with. You simply get the right sized wrap to cover your desired container and the heat from your hand helps ‘mould’ the wrap around the edges. I have the Abeego variety pack from Babi Pur.

Reusable Water Bottles – This is probably the change that has made the most impact on our plastic usage as a family. I used to buy water bottles often when on days out and even bought multipacks during hot weather to keep in the fridge at home so I was probably going through a fair few plastic bottles. I like to drink my water ice cold, so I like to use insulated containers. It now just feels a bit wrong to buy water in a plastic bottle when I know that’s only going to be used once. My most used bottle is actually an insulated tumbler, in the Winter months I was using it for tea but during the recent hot weather it’s been refilled multiple times a day with cold water and sometimes ice in an attempt to keep cool & hydrated. I did use to have an insulated classic bottle too but my partner ‘borrowed’ it about 3 months ago after claiming he didn’t need one!

Reusable Straws – I bought these for my 3 year old to use, I think it’s safe to say that a lot of children like drinking straws and my boy is no exception. We use the Klean Kanteen stainless steel straws. There is no need to worry about them feeling funny or damaging your teeth as they have a silicone tip. We have the mixed colour pack so my boy still gets to choose his colour. I also bought myself a  lid & straw set for my tumbler.

Reusable Bags – Simple, simple, simple! That’s if you remember to take your reusable bags with you when you go shopping! I’ve got a bit of a reputation for forgetting things! I am much better at remembering my bags these days though and haven’t bought a plastic bag in months, I would definitely carry my shopping to the car or in my handbag if I could before buying a plastic bag. I like to have a cotton tote in my handbag at all times and like to make sure I’ve got atleast one big bag in my car boot for when I do a   food shop.

Grow Your Own – We started growing our own fruit & veg earlier this year and although we’ve not experienced the full benefits of it yet, it will take time (and it’s a learning curve) it’s great to know exactly where your food comes from and what has been used to treat them, if anything. You can’t get more local than your own garden, no air or even road miles involved! I’m hoping the novelty of growing our own doesn’t wear off! I also hope it will be a way of educating our boy about where some of his food comes from and more importantly I hope it will encourage him to eat his greens because at the moment it seems an impossible task! Any tips on that front would be greatly appreciated! It’s also a good idea just to be more mindful when doing your weekly shop too, going for the packaging free produce is an obvious eco choice and can often work out cheaper too!

There are many, many, many more switches that could potentially be made to be more eco, let me know about your eco swaps in the comments.

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed the post.
Bye for now,
Emma

The links in this blog post are to Babi Pur. You can get 10% off your order on their website by using the code BUDDY (some exclusions apply). They have a lovely range of eco and ethical goodies from bathroom essentials to organic children’s clothing!