Plastic-Free July Round-up (part 1)

For the first time this year, I have followed an Instagram prompt sheet for Plastic Free July; as with all these monthly theme incentives which people follow they are a great way to get the word out about the green agenda, make your followers think a bit more about how they can make more environmentally friendly decisions in the things they buy and how they live, and of course, this is the case for the person doing it too.

I’m breaking this post down into two parts so it’s not too long or too overwhelming – so please keep an eye out for part 2 coming soon…

When I first saw Plastic Free July as a concept a couple of years ago I really felt defeated as soon as I tried it as it is still almost impossible to live plastic-free- but what I have realised through taking part this year is that that isn’t actually the point (although it would, of course, it would be nice if it were possible) it’s more about highlighting the things which you have found to reduce your plastic throughout the month, so here is my month in summary based on the below prompt sheet developed by the wonderful Hollie – The Mindful Mama & Sara | Earth Punk Mama, side note – I just love these ladies friendship on IG – it really is lovely to see two families so connected towards a common goal, their profiles are well worth checking out and following.

Day 1 of #plasticfreejuly = 1st/Easy Swap

is one which I discovered fairly recently on Amazon, after hunting for quite some time for a good value Eco ketchup in a glass bottle, I stumbled upon @rubiesintherubble which not only has a glass bottle with a decent neck side, so it’s not impossible to get out, but costs £2.50 (which is very reasonable in the glass ketchup market) and available on prime for free delivery, you can also use the subscribe and save option to get it for £2.38…it tastes delicious 😋 even better it has half the refined sugar of other brands as the recipe includes surplus pears 🍐 (which would otherwise be left to rot!) – this product is definitely win-win-win all round and comes highly recommended 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟

DAY 2 of #plasticfreejuly = Refillables

There are some more options becoming available we went to visit this refillable centre at our local garden centre (@flitvale) a few weeks ago and I absolutely loved it but I cannot wait until there is a standard part of every food shop, big and small, but these changes need to filter down from the top and I just really hope that they do in the next couple of years because to me every food shop should have a space to have at least one thing on the fillable whether it be oil or washing up liquid or dry pasta loose, etc it would just encourage people to have at least one grocery item, not in packaging and not charge them premium rates for it. 😊 On the ➕ side I’m loving what companies like @freshmilkandmore, @door_step_refillery, @fill_co are doing in this space, let’s just hope it becomes the norm and affordable and available to all soon 🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼💚💚💚

DAY 3 of #plasticfreejuly = Bags 🛍

There are now so many options available, in every shape and size imaginable and material too, personally, my favourites are @turtle.bags and funky patterned material bags from Cath Kidston and Orla Kiely but in reality, it doesn’t matter which bag you pick, more that we remember to (FRIGGING) take them with us! This is a challenge on our busy brains, but I always keep a stock in the boot of my car, I think we could do with more posters in our car parks in the UK, as I have seen done in other countries, but sadly I think we don’t have this as shops charge a nominal amount for us to buy bags off of them 😑. One thing I remember from my childhood and wish they would bring back is a pen of cardboard boxes in supermarkets 🛒 reusing the packaging in which the product arrived at the store in.

DAY 4 of #plasticfreejuly = Good Plastic vs Bad Plastic

There’s a lot which I have learnt about plastic on my journey to try & reduce my plastic, the thing which I open my eyes more than anything was watching the BBC programme on the war on plastic; before that, I was quite naive & thought that I could just put plastic in the recycling bin and it would hopefully get recycled & turned into new things, unfortunately, it seems clearer & clearer that this isn’t happening necessarily & that fundamentally what we should be trying to do overall is reducing our plastic as the other point is there are 2 Rs before Recycle in the basic model of #reducereuserecycle.

My positive plastics are the following:

• Polylactic Acid (PLA) is different from most thermoplastic polymers in that it is derived from renewable resources like corn starch or sugar cane. Most plastics, by contrast, are derived from the distillation and polymerisation of nonrenewable petroleum reserves. Plastics that are derived from biomass (e.g. PLA) are known as “bioplastics.” PLA is compostable, meaning microbes will break it down harmlessly into biomass and gas within a few months, given the right conditions.

• Home Compostable Plastic – This is in existence and has been for years and I get very excited when I see this as you can literally pop it in the compost bin guilt-free. It needs to be rolled out far more, but I currently use it for food bins, nappy sacks, the wrapper in which my toilet rolls come in, some food containers (especially from veg box companies)

• Reusable plastic boxes, tubs, and old takeaway containers are excellent things to keep for storing everything from kid’s crayons to food in the fridge. I know that they’re not always ideal to reheat food in, but if you are worried about the chemicals they release you can empty them onto a plate or buy glass Tupperware. Embracing using these has stopped me from using any kind of food wrap – even foil – most of the time. You can stop sandwich meats and cheeses drying out in the fridge, you can even get your fridge looking more organised, and you can keep half of whatever your kid won’t finish or the thing you only need half of for a recipe.

What are your top positive plastics? (IMAGE CREDIT: SELLSAGE.COM)

DAY 5 of #plasticfreejuly = Cleaning

This is an easy one for me, I discovered the wonderful @mrssparkle_natural through the IG eco-community, collaborated with her as loved the idea of her products, and have found a source of Eco cleaning products for life, if you’re to discover her, be sure to check her out. 😊
Reposted from @mrssparkle_natural ✨ Natural Cleaning Refills✨

At Mrs Sparkle we have worked hard to make it easy for you to cut down on plastic waste💚 We have developed a zero-waste, plastic-free range using safe, non-toxic plant and mineral-based ingredients that leave behind no nasties or adverse effects, just fresh, clean and toxin-free home✨

All of our tiny refills are concentrated formulas, packed full of powerful antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal and antimicrobial properties, all derived from natural ingredients 💚

Mrs Sparkle is a small, family-run handmade business and we take great pride in knowing that our refills make it possible for others to live a more sustainable life🌿

There is a whole range of cleaning products, plus many more great eco-friendly items available on our website, link in bio🌸

DAY 6 OF @plasticfreejuly = Laundry

My 3 eco- tips;

* Buy your washing liquid in bulk, I love this one from Faith in Nature

* Buy Eco Laundry Bleach (mines from Ecover)

* When the weather allows, hang your washing in the garden. It smells so much better and saves on your energy bill too 😊

DAY 7 OF @plasticfreejuly = Bathroom 🚽 🛀

My favourite finds:

• Buy everything in bulk which you can and reuse small bottles. My favourite bulk brand is @scottishfinesoaps, their sea 🌊 kelp range (I have the hair /body wash which I also use for hand soap & their conditioner) smells just like the products you get at spas (in fact it probably is just that as the hotel/hospitality industry got on to bulk buying from the beginning (entirely logically of course) but you can now benefit from this too 😊 👍🏼♨️♻️
• What razor? Well, I tried a safety razor first and I swear down there is absolutely nothing safe about a safety razor so that didn’t last very long at all… Then I discovered FFS and I have never looked back 🔙, honestly the best razor I have ever used, so much less plastic and fully returnable, free recycling for your old blades, win-win-win (check my blog – for my FFS review in search for my full thoughts on this product)
• Foam soap dispensers, are such a worthwhile investment, and take it to the next level with battery 🔋 powered ones so the kids can easily use them too, but they are the best idea for people, like me, who don’t get on with bars of soap but want to be more Eco. You mix any soap or shower gel if choice 4 parts water to 1 part soap. To put this in perspective, that means you get 5 x more use out of your liquid soap than before!
• There are more and more refillable companies coming to the market all the time and all across the world (for my international readers too). A great company to purchase eco handwash from, for example, is Tirtyl, which is available currently in the USA & Australia (I hope they come to the UK market soon too).
• If you want a treat, Neals Yard is my brand of choice, generally highly concentrated luxury organic products in glass bottles and even when you get them delivered every part of the packaging is recyclable I just love this brand all the ingredients in it are all-natural essential oils and smell absolutely divine just brand is always on my gift list 🎁📃❤️
• Toilet 🚽 rolls = Soft on Nature, made in the UK, fully home compostable packaging 📦, soft and lovely to use, easy to bulk buy, come in packs of 9, excellent value for money 💷, enough said
• Dry shampoo = since being a mum this has been essential to have in my tool kit, but I decided to invest in an Eco alternative this month, which is basically a bit like talc for your hair, it does the job though and thinks it’s going to last me too

DAY 8 OF @plasticfreejuly = Periods

This was something which I didn’t actually consider until remarkably recently, considering I am 38 this year and I started my period when I was 13! But in my defence, I think there have only been a lot of eco-period products on the market in the last 2-5 years really, or at least they weren’t yet available mainstream. I have written a full article on my blog about all the options now available, and I urge you if you haven’t already to give it a read and really consider what the footprint is of your current way of handling your periods. And here’s why:

Tampons, pads and panty liners along with their packaging and individual wrapping generate more than 200,000 tonnes of waste per year, and they all contain plastic – in fact, pads are around 90% plastic! The average user throws away an astonishing 125 to 150kg of tampons, pads and applicators in their lifetime. Plastic waste ends up in a landfill or, even worse in the oceans, rivers and beaches.

organicup.com

For me this swap is manageable because generally it’s around a week’s worth of supplies you need in any given month and I built up a collection of reusable pads which I liked over the course of a year, they are quite a lot to buy a full quality set up front, but I honestly felt like every month was getting a little closer to my goal of #plasticfreeperiods and now I am a full convert and would never go back. The other thing I love about the decision to go with washable pads is being able to support some beautiful cottage industry businesses.

DAY 9 OF @plasticfreejuly = Dental Care

One of my biggest bug-bears about the dental care industry is that it is pretty much impossible to source toothpaste with fluoride in it in a metal tube! – I just don’t understand why and why! Surely in all the, seemingly, millions of choices of kinds of toothpaste available in supermarkets, this could be at least one of them! So I went for Euthymol on Amazon after really falling for both the design and the materials used for the packaging, and it is ok – but incredibly strong tasting and fluoride-free – which I spoke to my dentist about and he said that it is a choice but he would suggest going with a fluoride one as we don’t have any fluoride in our water in Bedfordshire and it really is good for protecting your teeth against cavities. More frustrating still Euthymol is made by Johnson & Johnson so the fact that they make this surely would give them the opportunity to make more eco-friendly toothpaste too!

In terms of floss picks – which I do love for how easy they are to use I have found The Humble Co a fabulous Eco Brand that makes compostable versions, wooden toothbrushes and toothpaste in jars too (check out the blog post linked above for more info)

DAY 10 OF @plasticfreejuly = Shopping

The very key to today’s theme is CONSCIOUS CONSUMERISM. Consider every time you make a purchase who made it, how it was made, what it’s made from, where it was made and then just be conscious of that, care about that, support small and ethical shops whenever money allows, always consider 2nd hand regardless of your budget. Basically, ask yourself, how can I make this purchase count? How can I make it a bit more eco? Understand that it’s rare to make the perfect purchase where it ticks all the ethical boxes but be appreciative of yourself that you’ve thought about it enough that it ticks some of them. Understand too that sometimes delaying a purchase to consider whether you actually need to buy what you want can sometimes be the most ethical decision you could make. I’m a great believer that the votes you make with your wallet are often more powerful and more impactful than your political vote, so I just urge you to stop and think before you buy. That is it

DAY 11 OF @plasticfreejuly = Fashion

Today’s theme is very similar to yesterday’s theme in many ways, as again it is all about conscious consumerism. Asking do you need it, and how can you source it in the most ethical way you can afford every time, always consider 2nd hand, fair trade, what materials it’s made out of (for example I would always try to buy cotton before thinking I was doing the right thing through going for a natural fabric – but the difference between the resources used to make cotton vs organic cotton really is quite shocking – swipe to see – so now if I can I buy organic cotton). Think about where and how it was made and under what standards too.

DAY 12 OF @plasticfreejuly = Kitchen

Today’s theme is the kitchen ;

• Cleaning wise I use @mrssparkle_natural & @fill_co, cotton knit cloths and wooden brushed where possible
• I always have lots of Tupperware & jars on the go for storage of all sorts of leftovers as I hate and always try to resist food waste at all costs
• I have a food bin from the council, and that really changed how much kitchen waste goes to landfill, the answer is hardly any
• I try buying package free or cardboard where time and budget allows, but it isn’t always possible
• I also try to buy bulk of a lot of things to save on packaging that way that’s just about it. What are your best eco tips for the kitchen?

DAY 13 OF @plasticfreejuly = Water

• The most important and easy one for everyone is to drink tap water. It’s free (outside of your water bill at least) and plentiful, which is such a blessing and you can refill any container of choice with it. There’s literally no reason to buy bottled water to drink in your house or out and about, I always have a reusable water bottle on me when I’m out and anywhere will fill it up for you for free if you ask.
• We have two water butts at home to collect rainwater and water pot plants with
• There are other sources of wastewater which can be used to water plants, especially if you use eco-cleaning products, for example, dryer water or washing up water
• Modern taps such as our kitchen tap (from @ikeauk) produce part air and part water to make the water go further
• Modern toilets flush with a lot less water than older ones. All of these things are worth taking into consideration. What are your top eco-water tips?

DAY 14 OF @plasticfreejuly = Food

There are all sorts of things which you can do with food to reduce both plastic and waste, even though you might feel it’s hopeless in supermarkets filled with plastic packaging, I do believe things are gradually changing for the better, bit by bit, so as with all these things the best things you can do is focus on the positives:

• Take your own boxes and bags when you go to the shops and make some of your shopping package-free
• Use some waste-free apps, there are more and more of these popping up but some examples are @olio.app (for giving away stuff you have bought by accident/ tried and don’t like rather than putting it in the bin), @toogoodtogo.uk (where shops will post unused stock at the end of the day for you to collect for free), there is also a company I have seen who take fruit too soft to eat and turn it into a variety of dried fruit snacks with home delivery, but I can’t seem to find them, does anyone else know? – either way, this is another brilliant idea
• Buying dried/pantry items in bulk can save on packaging or from refill shops if possible
• Batch cooking and freezing meals are great ways to reduce waste and make your food go further. All of these things are worth taking into consideration. What are your top eco-food tips? (Photo Source: Artic Apples)

DAY 15 OF @plasticfreejuly = Cloth/Eco Nappies

Yes, I have renamed this slightly off the prompt sheet, but with good reason as for me, in order to make green mainstream we need to accept people’s limitations mentally, physically, and financially and so with this one, I have a bit of story, as I am a great believer in celebrating little wins along the way too…

When I found out I was having twins, I had the forethought to know that I wouldn’t be able to cope with cloth nappies, I know some do, but I find laundry and the fact that I’m always drowning in it anyway – 4.5 yr on it was not something I was willing to do.

So in the early days and for the entire 1st year, I got on board with @cheekywipes, and I liked them in principle, but also they ended up stressful, as I was the only one in the household using them and so they would sit in the dirty bucket too long and then taint the rest of what I washed with them…. saying this I am proud of managing to use them for a whole yr as a first-time parent of twins, and I would say they are worth the investment and if someone offered them to me again now then I would be willing to give them another go.

Equally, when I had my baby shower, I asked for any nappy cakes I got to be made out of biodegradable nappies (@ecobynaty) as I knew they wouldn’t be affordable to use in the beginning if we had a stock gifted to us to get us started then that would be a contribution to the cause, and a worthwhile one as at the time of purchasing I was told that these would rot down in around 5 years in comparison to 500 years for the market leader in disposable nappies. So the idea of asking for a more eco solution as a baby shower gift in my opinion is a very sensible thing to ask for, whether it be to ask for contributions towards a cloth set, or biodegradable or washable wipes – it all does help…

When it comes to washable, the question which I have heard around these, aside from the extra washing to handle, is how eco it is to have that extra washing – but then you could look to have a green energy supplier such as @joinpureplanet to tackle this side of things, also if you are able to line dry this could help too.

So after the baby shower stock had run out, we couldn’t afford the extra per nappy (at the time Aldi nappies were 4p each vs Naty at 14p), and when you are going through 6-8 nappies a day x 2 that adds up very quickly. So I accepted the limitation there, but once the boys were day trained, and only using pull-ups at night I have consistently used bio-degradable pull-ups, wipes, and bags, and again I feel really good about that commitment.

Also for the @potette_uk, I sourced biodegradable liners on eBay…

So I guess my point to all this, is that for whatever reason this MASSIVE environmental issue of nappies and what we do with them worldwide hasn’t been dealt with, and doesn’t have a perfect solution yet.

But as with this all, I am a believer that if you try and make some changes in your own life it will make a difference – be kind to yourselves though Mamas – those early years are so hard – just take your wins whilst you can 

All of these things are worth taking into consideration. What route did you decide on for nappies?