Plastic. Ugh, it’s everywhere! Even if you faithfully carry your own canvas bags and wouldn’t be caught without your stainless steel water bottle; it’s pretty hard to avoid. Here are five new (and easy) ways to put plastic in its place (as in, not in your place!)
1. That’s a Wrap. You’ve got a little hunk of cheese or half an avocado and you know that if you don’t get some plastic wrap on it quick, it’ll be green-bin-bound. Lesser of two evils, right? It’s time to wrap your wrap by giving it’s part to a much more eco-friendly player – Bee Wrap. It’s made of cloth and beeswax; it’s washable, reusable and best of all – keeps your avo green until guac night!
2. Suck it Up! As you know by now, we’re big fans of smoothies around here and the best way to drink them is through a straw. You can imagine how ecstatic we were to discover stainless steel straws! So long plastic, we’re sucking it up in style, now.
3. DIY Everything! So many of our everyday products that come in plastic can be made very easily at home and stored in glass containers. Whether it’s air freshener or natural house cleaner, make it yourself and avoid the plastic (not to mention the chemicals found in many store bought brands).
4. Little Bags. You get to the grocer or the farmers market and despite your best intentions you end up with plastic bags in your canvas bag. How else can you cart away your cherries or bulk items? Simple – your canvas bags should have babies. Made from mesh or canvas, these washable, reusable sacks will mean you never have to accept another plastic bag again. This no plastic thing is in the bag.
5. Barter, baby. There is that one seemly inevitable bit of plastic – money! Credit cards, bank cards, heck, even cold hard cash is now plastic. One way to decrease your need for it is to go back to barter whenever you can. Trade garden goodies with the neighbours, exchange your knitting for some canned tomatoes, arrange to pay for healing services with communication services. Whatever you’re good at, find someone who needs it and has something you need and barter away, baby.
We say poo-poo to plastic. We’ve got a better way to live and it doesn’t involve your petrochemicals or polymers.
Make the Fast Friday Five list grow. What other cool ways can you reduce the need and use of plastic? Share in the comments below.
