It’s taken a while, but we’ve all started to understand the damage that us humans have done to the planet. We've finally realised that we need to make major changes for the survival of the planet and our future generations. Yes, we all have crazy busy lives and convenience is key, but do we truly understand the impact of our dirty little plastic habit?
Plastic Free July is a personal challenge to reduce the number of single-use plastics that you use in July (and hopefully continue to reduce your waste throughout the year). Take on the challenge alone, as a family, or in your workplace and be part of the solution to end plastic pollution. You can discover the full extent of your plastic usage by completing the plastic footprint calculator. You might be surprised to see how quickly a few bottles and a bit of packaging adds up…I was!
Plastic Oceans, a charity that works to reduce the amount of plastic pollution in the ocean, has some great (but also terrifying) facts about plastic that will spur you on to take part in Plastic Free July.
- Packaging is the largest end-use market segment accounting for just over 40% of total plastic usage.
- Annually, approximately 500 billion plastic bags are used worldwide. More than one million bags are used every minute.
- A plastic bag has an average “working life” of 15 minutes.
- Over the last ten years, we have produced more plastic than during the whole of the last century.
- The process of producing bottled water requires around 6 times as much water per bottle as there is in the container.
- 14% of all litter comes from beverage containers. When caps and labels are considered, the number is higher.
- Less than 9% of all plastic gets recycled.
So, what can you do to help? Well pledging to take part in Plastic Free July is a great start, even if it’s just for a day. Below are some of our top tips for reducing your plastic waste.
1: Carry a reusable cup. Britain gets through 2.5 billion disposable coffee cups a year, with only 1 in 40 being recycled. You don’t need to skip your caffeine fix to save the planet, just swap to a reusable cup. We love the range of Stojo cups. They are stylish, have a sealable lid, a heat-protected hand grip and are completely collapsible so don’t take up much space.
2: Bin off bags (obviously don’t literally throw them in the bin, that’s half the problem). We’re all getting used to carrying a bag for life when we go shopping but what about smaller items? Reusable wraps, cloth bags or silicone cases are perfect for storing leftovers or lunches. Since we’re on the topic, ditch the clingfilm while you’re at it and consider wax wrap instead.
3: Sack off disposable straws. Only monsters with a vendetta against turtles are still using plastic straws. That said, there’s nothing worse than a low-quality paper straw disintegrating halfway through your milkshake (not naming any fast-food chains but you know who you are!). It’s estimated that approximately 8.3 billion plastic straws currently pollute the world’s beaches. You can do your bit by choosing either a reusable steel straw, or a reusable or biodegradable bamboo straw.
4: Don’t lose your bottle. In the UK alone there are approximately 13 billion plastic bottles used per year (with only around 50% being recycled). The average person uses 150 plastic bottles per year and water bottles make up a large number of these. Investing in a reusable water bottle is not just environmentally friendly but also saves you money. We are lucky to live in a place where water is free from a tap so why not make the most of it!? You can browse our huge selection of reusable water bottles here.
5: Go big or go home. Buying in bulk is a great way to way to reduce your amount of disposable plastic. A single plastic bottle can be refilled indefinitely from large refill packs. Whether it be washing up liquid, laundry detergent or cleaning sprays, you might as well buy in bulk because cleaning is never-ending and this way you’ll never run out of products.
6: Remember to recycle. Yes, it’s a pain separating everything but remember that throwing a plastic bottle in the bin means it will spend the next 200 years in landfills instead of being used again. That makes it seem worth the effort to do your recycling.
7: Get your teeth into it. A plastic toothbrush takes over 500 years to decompose, some sources believe that it’s actually closer to 1000 years. Now consider how many toothbrushes you have had in your lifetime. Sure, it’s not as big of an impact as packaging or water bottles but every little change will help. Why not look at a bamboo toothbrush as an alternative? It does the job just as well but isn’t made of nasty plastic.
At Healthpharm we are always looking for ways to reduce plastic and source better sustainable living products for our customers. We are currently showcasing some of our favourite products for plastic-free July here but you can check out our extensive sustainable living products all year round here.
