Hi Friends,
Hope everyone found something useful from last week's tips for reducing single use plastic.
Here a few more. Good luck with the challenge and your journey to reduce your plastic and food waste
Bathrooms
1 Use shampoo bars. No need for plastic bottles of shampoo. Bars are readily available now on line or in stores. Several different brands, so experiment until you find the right one for you. Bar soap and shampoo make great gifts as well.
2 Cleaning products. There are a multitude of bathroom cleaning products on the market. Most, if not all, come in plastic, and contain harmful and toxic ingredients. Using vinegar and baking soda is a great alternative. It is cheap, readily available and non toxic for you and the planet. Just mix a 50/50 ratio of water and vinegar and use it clean glass, mirrors, sinks, etc. Sprinkle a little baking soda in the shower or tub and sink and it does a fantastic job
3 Use a cloth instead of plastic sponge to clean. Again, a cheap and easy way to reduce plastic consumption. Sponges are now made of plastic, and need to be replaced often. Old towels cut up, or any washcloths, or any washable rag is free and lasts a long time. There are also Swedish dish cloths that can be purchased and they are machine washable . I use mine for well over a year before they need to be replaced. And you can compost them when their life is finished.
4 Bamboo toothbrushes. When you are finished using them as a personal toothbrush, they can be used as cleaning brushes for those hard to reach places, such as around faucets etc. Many of the bamboo toothbrushes are compostable, and even if you aren’t able to compost them, they are not made of plastic and therefore less toxic when manufactured and trashed
In the Kitchen
5 Last week a couple of the tips were able using alternatives to plastic wrap and baggies, such as wax wraps, silicone baggies, and silicone bowl toppers, using glass and metal containers etc. Here is another tip for storage, the old fashioned plate method. Why not cover leftovers you put in the fridge with a plate?
6 Another use for the Swedish dish cloths is cleaning around and the kitchen and doing the dishes.
7 Bar dish soap instead of liquid dish soap in plastic bottle. Cuts down on plastic and they work really well for cleaning dishes and pots and pans
8 Buying in bulk. Many food items ie beans, flours, oils, nuts, dried fruit, etc, can be purchased in the bulk section of grocery stores as well as from zero waste stores. When you bring your own jars, or produce bags and containers you can ditch the plastic bag offered in the bulk sections. You can save so much plastic by buying in bulk and you can buy just the amount you want.
9 Produce . Look for produce that is not wrapped in plastic or in the infamous clamshell (which is not recyclable) Remember to bring your produce bags.
10 Speaking of produce. Look into joining a CSA, Community Supported Agriculture program. or buying from the farmers markets There are several around. You buy locally from the farmer who is producing the item, it is fresher, travels a much shorter distance than across the country and many times the produce is not wrapped in plastic. Take it a step further and encourage the farmer to avoid using plastic bags and to use paper instead when it is necessary.
Hope you try some of the these tips. If you have any questions, please contact me at [email protected]
Have a great week.
Helene
