3 SUPER Easy Ways to #ditchplastic
Hey y'all! This week we are discussing a few super easy ( but maybe not super obvious ) ways that you can #ditchplastic in your everyday routine.
( Do I need to use it as a hashtag? No. Does it provide visual interest and make me happy? Yes. It also helps the cool factor if you pronounce "hashtag" haha )
Okay! So let's dive in. First thing to chop is...
BOTTLED. FREAKING. WATER.
Don't do it! It's seriously SO incredibly wasteful. Bottled water serves a tiny purpose in some situations - like in remote areas where people don't have access to clean, running water - but it has no purpose in your kitchen as a convenience item.
A filter pitcher and a cute, reusable bottle or tumbler will do juuuuuust fine. I promise!
If you're able, you can even invest in a water filtration system for your home, so your tap water won't be abhorrent. We invested in ours 6 years ago, ( when we definitely weren't able but hey, you live and learn, ha! ) and we praise it daily! We went for the whole-house softener system and we have a Reverse Osmosis tap on our kitchen sink.
I cannot recommend that splurge enough, really.
Next!
Make Good Choices
Opt out on plastic or styrofoam packaging whenever possible. Aluminum, paper, and glass are all wonderful alternatives! Glass and aluminum are both infinitely and easily recyclable, and paper is readily biodegradable.
Even IF your glass or aluminum should happen to end up in a landfill, they do not leech poison into the soil as they break down. So, buy the soy sauce in a glass bottle, buy the eggs that are in paper cartons, and once more for emphasis, stop buying bottled water :)
BYOB ( bring your own bag ) when you shop
Plastic shopping bags are *not* recyclable from your bin at home. They have to be recycled on their own completely, as the process is different, and they cannot be wet or dirty prior to their processing. If you use them, and you want to recycle them, usually the grocery store has a drop box especially for recycling plastic shopping bags.
I know the pandemic has thrown a kink in this swap in some places, but you can always choose to not bag your groceries in the store and put them in your own bags at the car :)
Expanding on plastic bags:
You can also find mesh produce bags to use, wash, and reuse! Nothing grinds my little green heart more than having to put one apple in a plastic bag as big as my arm.
See, those are SUPER easy, right? I know this is a short list, but these are incredibly impactful swaps and a great jumping-off point!
Oh! And here's a bonus one that I bet you'd never think I'd suggest in a million bajillion years...
Switch to bar soap!
AREN'T YOU STUNNED!? Seriously though, ditch the body wash bottle, too. Need some encouragement? Check out my blog post on Why Bar Soap is Better.
Okay, are you feeling mean, green, and ready to conquer plastic pollution and petroleum dependency?!
Everybody shouts: "SURE!"
Have you already made these swaps? If so, look at you, all eco-friendly and stuff. Saving Earth, and being a badass. Who'd have thought?
Okay I'm gonna bounce, for now. I think next week we will talk about synthetic fragrance and why it's the devil.
TTFN,
Courtney
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