Plastic and People: An Article for Alternatives

Take the plunge and pledge to leave plastic.

Save the environment, save money and save hassle. It seems like a no brainer, but for some reason we are choosing laziness and convenient life decisions over practical ways to reduce the harm we are inflicting upon the world we live in. Is it an education thing, that we are brought up buying new bottles of water instead of refilling the previous one? Or is it purely a convenient way of living? Yes there is some positive plastic news, slowly we are making progress by scraping plastic bags, containers and packaging but there is still over 11 million tonnes of plastic that we send to landfill each year. Single-use plastics have been proven to be the worst purchase and the culprit of us dumping so much unnecessary rubbish. There are so many alternatives, some that I had never heard of, highstreet products that we can easily grab on our weekly shop or trip to town, instead of repeatedly using and throwing away.

Sometimes buying these products for the greater good can be difficult and does mean committing to a great deal of brand removal. I love a good makeup or toiletry brand as much as anyone else but adapting to a plastic-free lifestyle is a process that gets easier with time and in the end is very satisfying. In the long run it also makes your life a lot simpler as you end up eliminating choice and creating one simple alternative to live by.

“We are committed to becoming more sustainable the more we grow, by using our buying power to drive positive change.”

Lush have an utterly fantastic range of soaps, solid shampoos, perfumes and refillable products which are super anti-plastic and fab! Their environmentally friendly products are either solid products wrapped in 100% recyclable plastic or in refillable glass and plastic bottles. The Gorilla Perfumes which come in refillable glass bottles with pump lids and are wrapped in colour popping art and musical imagery, perfect for everyday use and pretty funky as well! The majority of their products are refillable via post or in store and if you purchase one of the big black tubs they are recyclable if you pop them back into the store and they take care of it for you!

Understandably adapting to this lifestyle can be an irritating little annoyance that gets in the way, especially when you are going about your daily life not wanting to change everyday habits or daily lifestyle choices. However, as well as an anti-plastic lifestyle being positive change it is also very achievable and will seem like a very small deal in the long run. Neals Yard also supply products in glass bottles that can be recycled and refilled...and you can gain credit and discounts for doing such good deeds!

Brush Humbly…

Humble Brushes are another fab way of cutting down on your plastic intake, brushing your teeth knowing you’re not going to throw away yet another lump of plastic after a few months. The Swedish made toothbrush is eco-friendly, bamboo and super affordable! The brushes priced at £3.99 are durable and great quality, I have been using them for a couple of years now and haven’t looked back! You can grab them from Holland & Barrett, Waitrose or Whole Foods and come in pretty funky colours as well as them being friendly to both your teeth and our earth.

The Debrief…

I have recently started listening to the Debrief Podcast, hosted by Stevie Martin and Tessa Coates, which is not just very funny and lighthearted but a really topical podcast which addresses current issues head on. They talk about a wide spectrum of societal and lifestyle issues including politics, veganism and love but have also done a great episode on the environment. In episode No. 8 “How To Look After The Environment” they playfully chat and cover how we need to abolish the use of straws, stop drinking from plastic coffee cups and help save the marine life by being that little bit more mindful of what we buy and how we recycle. If you’re looking for a cheery and upbeat way to think about changing and ditching plastic habits this podcast is a pretty good way to do just that.

We can be very very mindlessly ignorant about the fact that pretty much everything nowadays comes sealed in plastic. We take it for granted that whatever we throw away will be disposed of by other people, and unless made aware of the harmful consequences we can very easily shield our eyes from the repercussions we create everyday. Even though these impacts are so so detrimental and devastating to our earth, the routes we can take to minimise this harm are quick, effective and very achievable. When it comes to plastic, there is always an alternative.

References:

http://www.thedebrief.co.uk/things-to-do/tv-and-film/debrief-podcast-20170366916

https://humblebrush.com/

https://uk.lush.com/