'Plastic Free July® is a global movement that helps millions of people be part of the solution to plastic pollution so we can have cleaner streets, oceans, and beautiful communities.' Plastic Free July Org
So how can you as a busy mum be a part of the solution?
Before you get your knickers in a knot worrying about trying to do it all, take a step back and think about the easiest way you can make an impact. With kids on board, life can get busy! So it's important to find what works for you, your household and your schedule.
With all this in mind, I've put together 5 simple steps you can take to make an impact this Plastic-free July (without the stress)!
Step 1. Ask yourself - what's the easiest thing I could do to reduce my plastic waste?
Take out a notebook and make a list of some of the changes you could make.
Look closely at your day, your week and think about what plastics you're consuming or using. Perhaps take a little look through your bins, what plastic-waste is taking up space in there? Is it take-away food containers, is it plastic water bottles, or something else?
From your list, choose 1 or 2 items that you could easily tackle.
Step 2. Consider switching from disposable plastic products to reusables
This step requires doing a little home-audit. Have a look through your kitchen draws. What disposable plastic products are you using?
If you're an avid plastic cling wrap user you could switch to a reusable vegan food wrap or silicone reusable food covers.
Or perhaps you rely on plastic zip lock bags? Here, you could look at reusable food containers or reusable food pockets as an eco-alternative.
Whatever you decide, remember this one switch will make a positive impact on our Planet.
By switching to a reusable food cover (over cling wrap), you can deter hundreds of metres of plastic cling wrap from harming out environment. Our vegan food wraps are designed to decompose in a home compost at the end of their life, meaning zero impact.
Remember #smallstepsbigdifference!
Step 3. Look at personal care items in your household. Is there one simple plastic-free swap you could make here?
Unfortunately when it comes to personal care products, most of them are packaged in plastic. From plastic moisturiser bottles, to plastic hand wash dispensers and plastic shaving cream bottles...the list goes on.
I bet if you look in your bathroom cupboard, you'll find more than a few culprits. So yes, it's time for another audit!
Look at what you use daily, is it hand soap? Moisturiser? Shampoo & conditioner? Or, what are you running low on? If you're running low on shampoo and conditioner than switching to a plastic-free shampoo & conditioner bar could be a great place to start.
Here are 4 more plastic-free personal care swaps you could try:
- Switch to a plastic-free facial cleanser
- Switch to a plastic-free shaving soap
- Switch to a plastic-free body soap
- Switch to plastic-free cotton buds
Choose one that's easiest for you and I promise you - you'll never look back!
Step 4. Next up is to consider switching to plastic free cleaning products
Before I made a conscious effort to reduce our household waste (especially plastic waste), I had an abundance of cleaning bottles & cleaning cloths under my sink and in my laundry.
It's possible you do too.
Sadly, it's not just the plastic that's problematic here. Most store bought cleaning products are filled with nasty toxins which are just as hazardous to our home and environment as the plastic.
Switching to plastic-free AND toxin-free cleaning products is almost a no brainer. Better for our Planet and your family.
The great thing is there are so many plastic-free cleaning alternatives available. Here are just 4 ideas to help you out:
- Switch from disposable chuxes to reusable cleaning cloths (chuxes are synthetic & filled with plastic)
- Switch to a naked dishwashing soap bar (this one's our best seller).
- Switch to a plastic-free laundry soap bar
- Switch to a bamboo dish brush over a plastic scourer
Choose one that will easily fit into your daily routine. If you don't like the idea of a dishwash soap bar on your sink then perhaps opt for the reusable cleaning cloths.
Once you make this switch - you'll be amazed by how much plastic you're no longer throwing away.
Step 5. Do an audit on your soft plastics
Whether you were an avid 'REDycler' or not, the abundance of soft plastics in our everyday living is a huge environmental problem. The option to recycle it was great - however it was never going to be the solution. Soft plastic recycled = more plastic.
Inside my Planet-friendly Living Membership, I teach mums simple ways they can reduce their soft plastics waste, without having to do it all.
If you feel like your soft plastics waste needs an overhaul, here are a few suggestions to help you make some small but effective changes.
1. Quit disposable produce bags - they're extremely wasteful & detrimental to our Planet. Instead - switch to reusable produce bags. This can deter up to 20 plastic bags from harming our environment each week!
2. Quit family packs of assorted biscuits/chips etc. Here, all the excess of the individually wrapped packs is totally unnecessary. Instead - buy one 'bulk' bag & divide into reusable snack bags or containers.
3. Quit cling wrap (covered this one above!)
4. Consider a reusable bread bag or bake your own bread - which leads me to the next idea.
5. Bake more! If you love baking already - great. Bake some snacks for the kids lunches & then pop them in a reusable food pouch or container. If you're like me and don't love baking - then start small. Just bake once a week and see how you go.
Remember, your small steps create big change & will help with our massive plastic pollution problem!
Step 6. Congratulate yourself for every small step you take to reduce your plastic waste.
#smallstepsbigdifference is the theme set by Plastic Free July Organisation this year.
A reminder to you that your small steps towards reducing your plastic-waste do make an impact! Your helping our Planet, marine life and wildlife, and you're inspiring family and friends to do the same.
Congratulate yourself for every small step you do take and if you feel inspired share your Plastic Free July action on Instagram using the # above.