What’s the fuss about plastic?
Plastic is simply amazing stuff! Designed in the 50’s, it revolutionised the way folk lived. Rather than relying on natural materials which were harder to come by, products could be made quickly, effectively and cheaply; it was even attributed to helping the environment! It’s still one of the most useful materials on the planet; strong, cheap and hugely versatile.
So what’s the issue? It’s inability to breakdown in the environment and that it’s flippin’ everywhere (it’s even been found in our blood and placenta’s of unborn children), plastic has become a huge issue for the environment, animals and people. Only 9% of ALL plastic EVER MADE has been recycled! Add to this, that plastic is made from fossil fuels, it’s toxic, can have animal derivatives in it (plastic bags can be coated with animal fat!) and we can start to see why folk are keen to step away from plastic.
Here are our top tips for cutting back on plastic:
- Reuse what you already have! Don’t chuck plastic stuff away and replace it as it’s simply wasting resources!
- If you can’t reuse something or simply can’t live without a certain plastic product, then don’t forget to recycle it! If it can’t go in household recycling, then our go-to-place is Terracycle! They literally do everything, writing pens, felt tips, beauty packaging, razor blades and often have drop off points locally!
- Make just one swap. It’s hard cutting back, so just do it bit by bit when something has worn out. Our top suggestions: Replace a worn out razor with a reusable one. Use a reusable coffee cup from the fabulous Generous Ape or we LOVE these from Veo! or even just swapping your washing up sponges from plastic to compostable ones?
- Refill!! Use your old bottles and refill instead! We’ve a healthy range of refills (plastic-free!) for both cleaning stuff and even bubble bath!