The impact that single use plastic and micro plastics are having on us and our planet is hard to escape. The message is clear that we all need to be finding ways to reduce the plastic in our lives. We can argue the difficulty of this with so many large companies and corporations yet to make changes, but we can still play our small part.
Here at the Angus Climate Hub we agree with the words of Anne-Marie Bonneau who says: “We don’t need a handful of people doing zero-waste perfectly. We need millions of people doing it imperfectly”.
So this post is not about doing 'all the things', but rather giving you a quick refresh on how you can reduce plastic in your day to day lives, and implementing the ones that are accessible to you right now. Maybe it will spark an idea for something else you can do.
1. REFILL SHOPS
A great way to reduce single use plastics is heading to your local refill shop with your own bottles/ jars/ bags and refill them with the products you need, paying for the specific quantity desired. The great thing about these shops is that the products you will be refilling with are most likely to be eco friendly and (micro)plastic free too.
Here are some refill shops in the ANGUS & DUNDEE area;
A Longer Table KIRRIEMUIR
The Little Green Larder DUNDEE
Love Your Planet BROUGHTY FERRY
2. CHOOSE WHAT YOU BUY
It's unlikely that any us have the luxury to be able to replace every item we own for a non plastic, sustainable, organic, (all singing all dancing!) one. Nor is that the solution!
However what we CAN do is make just one conscious choice each time we do our weekly/monthly shop.
Imagine how much this will add up to over the course of a year's shopping. Multiply that by 5 years, 10 years, your lifetime ..... and it's easy to see how 1 small choice continuously made can make a HUGE difference. It also sends a powerful message to the companies selling the plastic packaged items.
Some examples of these choices are ;
Instead of buying fruit or veg in a plastic packaging go for the loose fruit and veg
Instead of buying teabags heat sealed using polypropylene you can buy a brand that can be composted without adding microplastics to the soil.
Is there an alternative brand of the product you desire on the shelf that comes in a cardboard or glass packaging rather than plastic?
What wipes, pads, nappies are you buying? Can you buy a biodegradable or material version instead? Find some resources below; Free Period Angus - free reusable sanitary products Jist Jute - jute dish scrubs Reusable Nappies - join fb page to swap/buy/sell pre loved reusable nappies Reusable Nappies Incentive Scheme - a National subsidised scheme for those who would like to try out reusable nappies
3. GET CREATIVE
This may instil fear in some :) but there are so many creative ways you can replace single use plastic products with hand made ones.
Even better, many of these items can be made from old clothing and textiles that you have hidden in the back of your cupboard. This means not only are you saving money, you are reducing the plastic you buy AND reducing your own household waste. It's a win win situation! (providing you can get over that initial fear!)
You can make produce bags for your loose veg out of any old cotton t-shirts (blog tutorial here)
Make your own sanitary pads (video here and blog tutorial here)
Make your own face wipes (video here ), kitchen wipes (blog post here ), and baby wipes (blog post here).
Crochet dish scrubs (video here ) It's important to choose non plastic wool or you are simply perpetuating the problem . We recently held a stitch event sharing how to crochet a dish scrub using locally sourced Nutscene twine.
There are thousands of fantastic step by step tutorials (for all skill levels) at your fingertips, showing how to upcycle fabrics into all kinds of useful house hold items. We hope you will be inspired to take a look at the links (or go on your own search) and then experience the pride and satisfaction of trying out a new skill, hand making something for your home, all while being kind to your planet <3
We hope you are feeling motivated to continue finding ways to reduce the plastic in your lives, and making a difference right now! Of course the list shared here is by no means exhaustive and we are always keen to hear your experiences & knowledge.
If you have any other suggestions that you'd like to share please let us know. And if you have any topics that you'd like to hear more info on with links to Angus based resources, get in touch!
*All images sourced from Unsplash*