With the amount of plastic flooding our oceans and landfills and contributing to plastic pollution, limiting your consumption of this environmentally-damaging material is really important, if you are looking to live a more sustainable lifestyle. With Plastic free July in full swing this is the perfect time to rethink your plastic consumption and look at what small changes you can make in your daily life.

In case you haven’t heard about it before, Plastic Free July is an initiative by the Plastic Free Foundation encouraging people from all around the world to stop using plastic for the month of July and cultivate sustainable habits to carry past the this month. Whether you are new to sustainability and eager to find little ways to make your home more eco-friendly, or a sustainability pro wishing to further limit your impact on the environment, Plastic Free July is sure to help limit your contribution towards plastic pollution. In today’s article, we want to share our favourite tips that will make Plastic Free July easier for you. We have divided them up into two sections – the basics and the veteran tips.

Plastic free basics

• Stop using plastic bottles– in most of the western world, tap water is perfectly safe to drink and yet 60 million plastic bottles end up in landfills or incinerators every day? It is time to stop drinking bottled water. Get yourself a reusable water bottle and fill it up at the tap or drinking fountains. Remember Bottled water companies don’t make water they make plastic bottles!
• Ditch plastic bags– not only are plastic shopping bags suffocating the earth, it is also time to do something about our use of plastic produce and bread bags. Many fruits and vegetables simply need no packaging and can be put into your shopping cart as they are. For those that need wrapping, you can get yourself a set of reusable produce bags. When it comes to baked goods, you can save both plastic and food waste by investing a few pounds into a bread bag that will keep it fresh for longer without single-use plastic.
• Switch to natural cleaning – when you switch to natural cleaning, you are benefiting your household’s health as well as the environment. Most natural cleaning products are also plastic free, helping you on your Plastic Free July journey. Wooden dish brushes, natural cleaning sponge cloths, plastic free kitchen cleaner drops… our website has a whole range of plastic free cleaning products to get you started!

Veteran tips to limit plastic pollution

• Pick up litter – once you tackle your own plastic usage, let’s limit the plastic pollution caused by others. If you see litter at the beach or anywhere else in nature why not pick it up. Do this on your trips and adventures, or join local beach cleans!
• Try to avoid synthetic clothing – did you know that most synthetic fabrics, such as polyester or nylon, are made of plastic and release tiny plastic fibres into the water cycle any time they are washed? Go for natural fabrics such as organic cotton, hemp or linen!
• Watch your plate – some plastic polluters may be on your plate! Did you know that industrial fishing is one of the largest contributors to plastic pollution? A study has found that 47% of the plastic in our oceans come from abandoned fishing nets, which is really shocking! Why not try and get a few more plant based meals into your week.