Plastic-free life

SUSTAINABLE STRAWS, CUTLERY, CUPS AND BATHROOM PRODUCTS

Welcome everyone!

Have you ever thought about living plastic-free life? Nowadays, it may seem really hard, because basically everything is made from plastic or packed in it. Our „plastic epidemic” started in 1960s. Now we depend on it. Plastic is light, flexible, transparent and cheap. However, it has a very dark side. Plastic items can take up to 1000 years to decompose. More than 8 million tons of plastic are dumped in our oceans every year. About 40 percent of it is used just once and it’s choking our waterways. Plastic is really harmful to the ocean’s ecosystem, it kills millions of sea animals every year.

The problem lies mainly in big companies and corporations, like Coca-Cola or Nestle, that produce hundreds of thousands tons of plastic every year, not caring about biodegrading and reprocessing. Probably you’re not able to shut them down or end the whole pollution problem right now, but you can start with yourself. Here are some tips on how to avoid plastic straws, cutlery and cups:

1.     Straws

Plastic straws are little, but they are part of a huge problem. They’ve recently gotten a lot of attention, because of how difficult they are to recycle. “Plastic straws and other items smaller than two by two inches, such as plastic utensils, fall through the machinery that sorts our recycling” says Jonathan Kuhl of the D.C. Department of Public Works. More and more restaurants and cafes are trying to stop using plastic straws, and some cities are even banning them. Nevertheless, still many of them keep using plastic straws. Below you can see a picture of a turtle with a straw stucked in his nostril.

Here is what you can do about it:

·        Whenever ordering a drink, ask the waiter to bring it without a straw.  Encourage your friends and family to take the pledge, too!

·        If you’re making a party and want to buy straws, make use of reusable nonplastic alternatives, such as paper, bamboo or metal straws.

·        Export the problem! Talk with your friends about it, share posts and information on your social media.

2.     Cutlery

·        Bring your own reusable cutlery to work or school, instead of using the plastic one. Although it doesn’t require much, you can save the lives of many animals! So go put some cutlery in your bag right now.

·        If you don’t want to carry metal cutlery with you, you can buy wooden one.
It’s cheap, light and biodegradable.

3.     Coffee cups

16 billion disposable coffee cups are used each year. These are coated with plastic to laminate the inside and use plastic lids. Here are some tips to prevent it:

·        Grab a reusable thermos or buy one at your favourite cafe. Nowadays, almost every coffee shop will gladly fill your reusable cup. Many of them even offer
a discount when you use a refillable mug.

·        Forgot your reusable cup? Not a problem: ask your drink for here. Many coffee shops still stock ceramic mugs and will unproblematically serve your coffee in it.

·        Another way of avoiding single-use cups is by brewing up your tea or coffee at home. You can take it away in your travel mug, in case you don’t have time to drink it.

4.     Sustainable cosmetics

Now let’s talk about something called sustainable bathroom cosmetics. What does that even mean? Literally every cosmetic is packed in a plastic package, which is not biodegradable. Most of them are also tested on animals. That includes cruelty, beating and torturing poor, innocent creatures. More than 100 million animals are tested and killed every year. Sustainable cosmetics are not tested on animals and are packed in recyclable plastic package or simply not packed in plastic. If you want to have a „sustainable bathroom” try some of these tips:

·        Buy cosmetics not tested on animals. If you don’t know, whether the cosmetic is tested or not, try to find a symbol of a leaping bunny. That means the cosmetic is cruelty free. 

 If you want to know, which companies don’t test on animals, here is the link to the PETA site: https://www.peta.org/living/personal-care-fashion/these-companies-dont-test-on-animals/

·        Don’t buy cosmetics in plastic packages. Instead of a body wash or shampoo in
a plastic bottle you can buy body wash or shampoo cubes. You can even make your own at home. On the internet you can find hundreds of recipes, for every type of skin and hair. You can also buy cosmetics in wooden or bamboo package. 

·        Don’t buy spray deodorants! They are harmful to you and the environment. They contain aluminium. It is a damaging chemical, and well known water pollutant. It can damage ecosystem and aquatic life. They harm the ozone layer, which is very important for all the living things. Their packaging is non recyclable. Instead of these you can make your own deodorant at home or buy the natural one. Here is an example of a DIY natural deodorant recipe: https://wellnessmama.com/1523/natural-deodorant/.

·        Don’t use plastic toothbrush. They take over 400 years to decompose and are a toxic mixture of chemicals, that pollutes oceans and beaches. Instead of them, try the bamboo toothbrush. They’re 100% biodegradable and available online.

·       To live with less waste give up on cotton pads and the micellar water. There are many alternatives such as reusable cotton pads or removal glove GLOV. To remove your makeup you should only wet the glove with warm water and rub your face. The product can be cleaned just with water and soap. Another option is a Konjac sponge. Konjac is an asian plant, so the sponge is 100% naturally and biodegradable.
It doesn’t only remove makeup, but also clears the skin. The sponge works the same way as the glove. When using the less waste alternatives you also save money, because these products can last really long if you treat them well! 

That’s all for today! I hope you enjoy the tips and you’ll try them as soon as possible. If so, please give me a review. Thanks for your attention. Good luck with your plastic-free life!

Zuzia