There are generally 3 views on plastic use: I can recycle everything and do. I will not buy anything new that uses plastic. I dont care because the damage is done and the planet already destroyed.
In 2017 we decided as a family to try to go zero plastic in the house and reduce our general waste. It was baby steps, but it started with swapping the plastic water bottle and went from there, i tried to buy less plastic from the shops and supermarkets. So here is our list of small do-able changes that as a family we have managed to achieve and stick to on a daily bases. We have significantly reduced our house hold waste with only half a bag going out in the collection per week and the recycling bins only containing glass and cardboard. Our consumption in general has massively been reduced.
Reduce, reuse, recycle! Recycling should be the last resort. Ask yourself "Do i need this?"when you buy anything.
Our top easy swaps from plastic to eco friendly sustainable purchases.
Shopping bags (even reusable ones) - try instead material bags, cotton or natural fibres. Including reusable fruit and veg bags.
Plastic bottled water - Get into a habit instead of using a glass water bottle at home, and a refillable water bottles for the family, for sports and travel.
Coffee pods aluminium/plastic and tea bags containing plastic - use instead loose tea in a pot and loose coffee in a italien cafetier.
Liquid soaps, shampoos and conditioners in bottles - Clean out the bathroom and replace them next shop with solid soaps, shampoos and conditioner bars. Widely available now and last a lot longer than the bottles. Zero waste!
Plastic tooth brushes - replace with Bamboo toothbrush especially when travelling very useful. Completely compostable once finished with.
Plastic film in the kitchen - use instead Bees Wax wraps 100% natural and compostable when finished with.
Toothpaste tubes - replace next time with toothpaste available in glass jars, which are reusable once finished with.
Plastic cotton buds - paper or bamboo cotton buds are widely available
Sanitary products - buy instead the washable sanitary towels and save yourself money in the long run!
General Clothing made with plastic fibres - be conscious of your purchasing in shops and dont be afraid to buy, bamboo/cotton/wool items and many high street shops offer an eco range now.
Nappies which are one of the biggest landfill items - invest in washable beautiful soft cotton/bamboo nappies and benefit for over 3 years. These can easily be re-homed afterwards too, when your little ones are all finished with them.
Plastic straws - Bamboo/stainless steel/natural material, there are several options to replace these as they definitely have a place in the homes.
This is such a big topic and i dont want to overwhelm people now, we will be continuously looking for solutions to replace plastic within the home.