That’s a (beeswax) wrap! It’s the end of Plastic Free July, but looking after our Earth is the work of a lifetime. Let’s keep educating, advocating and keep those plastic free habits rolling! Here’s a roundup of some of our best plastic free tips, it’s never too late to make a difference.
(POLITELY) REFUSE THE STRAW!
Did you know that enough straws are produced annually to fill more than 46,000 buses? It’s possible to look just as sophisticated sipping your G&T straight from the glass rather than from a straw. If you still need that straw, metal, glass and bamboo straws are widely available now, including Turtley Strawesome’s metal straws. Invest a few of your Reward Shop points into your habit now and Mother Nature will thank you for it!
AND THE CUP
With Sol Cup’s beautiful glass and silicone reusable cups, you’ll never have to use a plastic-lined coffee cup again! Not only do Sol Cups look amazing, it also means you’re saving one of millions of coffee cups from going into landfill. Looking good and saving nature? That’s some good multi-tasking.
BYO FRUITY SACKS
You want to reduce your single-use plastic bags, but you also can’t look into the eyes of your checkout attendant as you gently roll 20 apples out of your arms and toss handfuls of spinach onto the checkout conveyor. That’s where Fruity Sacks come in, produce bags that you can reuse 100s or 1000s of times, and with a handy drawstring too. Convenience with class.
LOSE THE CLINGER
Glad Wrap should be renamed Sad Wrap, it chokes baby seals and suffocates turtles. Think of the baby animals! Open that cupboard with the precarious mountain of containers and get using them. Natural substitutes such as Beeutiful Beeswax Wraps are also perfect for when you want to throw out that last bit of sandwich in two weeks instead of right now (into the compost of course).
BANISH THE BOTTLED WATER
Thankfully we live in beautiful Australia, which has higher standards for its tap water than bottled water, so say bye-bye bottled water! Australian’s spend more than half a billion dollars a year on bottled water – less than 40% of those bottles are recycled, while the remaining 60+% goes straight into landfill and take between 450-1000 years to break down. Not to mention, a litre of bottled water is more expensive than a litre of petrol (why are we immune to reason when it comes to the allure of a Mount Franklin?). Your part in this is so simple: invest in a good reusable bottle, like a Sol Bottle, and then take it with you everywhere.
SWERVE PLASTIC PACKAGING
When you can, choose products packaged in cardboard, glass or compostable packaging. Take your own containers to your local butcher, fishmonger or deli and ask them to package your produce in those. Avoid takeaway that comes in plastic – support vendors who choose sustainable options instead. And if you ever find yourself with an opportunity to refill anything direct from the supplier, that’s your holy grail!
