#waronplastic

[slothsinloincloths]

Going plastic free

As with the rest of the country, we recently watched Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s new tv series War On Plastic, which looked at trying to reduce the amount of plastic we use.

Of course, we were totally interested in this and many of the things they looked at in the series, we hadn’t even considered. I had no idea that surface wipes contained plastic! We very quickly decided that we wanted to make a change in our lives and do our bit for the planet. 

The problem is, we hadn’t realised just how dependent we are on plastic until we started trying to reduce it. It’s been a bit of a challenge.

On our first shopping trip after watching the show, once we’d agreed to reduce as much as possible, we struggled to buy most of the things that were on our list, because there was no plastic-free option. Why is so much food wrapped in plastic!

Cereal was out, since it’s always in a plastic bag inside of the cardboard box to keep it fresh. I love cereal so at the moment its the one thing i’ve been cheating on. I can’t go without my cereal.

A lot of things that we have managed to swap out may be better for the planet, but my god they are expensive compared to our old product choices! It’s a shame that healthier/planet friendlier products aren’t cheaper. I think more people would make the swap if they were.

At this point we’re only about 2 months into our challenge, but this is what we’ve changed so far:

Bamboo Toothbrushes - We’ve switched from plastic toothbrushes to bamboo ones. Unfortunately the bristles are nylon, so not entirely envionmentally friendly, but at least the bulk of the toothbrush will biodegrade.

Toilet Roll - We’ve switched toilet rolls to ones that don’t come wrapped in plastic. At first we used Who Gives A Crap, which is a great company. Their toilet rolls come in a cardboard box, and each roll is wrapped in colourful patterned paper, which is always nice to see. Unfortunately there didnt seem to be a way of ordering less than 24 rolls at a time, and we live in a tiny cottage with limited storage space, so, while we’re okay for toilet roll for the next 6 months, it’s not going to workout long term. Instead we’ve found Greencane, who wrap 4 rolls of toilet paper in brown paper with a little compostable window.

Kitchen Roll - We’ve switched kitchen roll to one that comes in compostable packaging -  Ecoleaf. We couldnt find any that came wrapped in paper for a decent price.

Abel & Cole - We’ve aready been using Abel & Cole for our food delivery for almost 2 years, but we’re getting a lot more of our food from them now since most of their stuff comes in planet friendly packaging. We get their organic veg boxes, which comes in a cardboard box. The drivers pick up the empty boxes and any other packaging each time they drop off a delivery. The boxes get reused as much as possible. 

No plastic bags! Just no. 

Shampoo - We’ve started using solid shampoo bars, which is basically like a bar of soap you use on your hair. So far so good. The one we’re using at the moment is from Clovelly Soap Co, but i’m interested in trying some from Lush as well.

Packaging - I’m trying to buy less stuff from the internet. Most of the time parcels just have far too much unnecessary packaging, usually plastic. Plus, I like knowing my postman doesn’t have to carry too much of my shit in his bag each week. 

No more surface wipes or baby wipes. We used so many of these around the house, just because they were convienient. No more. In fact, i’m trying to cut out most cleaning products which all seem to come in plastic bottles, and am trying to make my own instead.

Cat food. - This is a tough one because we don’t have the storage to stock up on tinned food, and I don’t particularly want to have to buy cat food every single week. At the moment we are still using the pouches of food, which are plastic, but we’ve started to buy a couple of tins with each shop. It’s not much, but one tin cuts out 3 pouches per day, so I guess 6 pouches less a week is something, right?

No plastic bottles (mostly) We each have a Chilly’s bottle now for work, to stop us from buying a drink in a plastic bottle each day. We mostly drink squash now, or water. In fact, I think a bottle of squash is the only plastic bottle we allow at the moment. We are looking for glass alternatives. If we fancy pop, we buy cans, and only cans that don’t come wrapped in plastic, regardless of how much more expensive they are than a plastic bottle. 

Reusable sanitary products - self explanatory

Next steps - I’d like to find biodegradable black bags for the kitchen bin, but they don’t seem to exist. I’m also considering switching to solid deoderant.

We’re no where near as environmentally friendly as we could be/would like to be, but we’ve made a decent start I think.

[papaphone]

How many people need to die in this war How many lives get lost before Rain down so much hate from the skies Nothing growing in the ground So many children with that look in their eyes A vacant stare and it’s no surprise For minds so desensitised When there is suffering all around Time after time Nothing changes more times go by In a circle of lies, oh no. All the want to survive All we want to do is stay alive But many more die When you put the bullet in the gun

[tropicwithjennysutton-blog]

🌍 S͙T͙A͙R͙T͙S͙ T͙O͙D͙A͙Y͙ 🌍 Fight the #WarOnPlastic and support #InternationalPlasticFreeBagDay and take advantage of a FREE gift �� 🌍 ​ This Wednesday 3rd July marks a special day in the eco-friendly calendar: ♻️ International Plastic Free Bag Day ♻️ ​ To celebrate, we have an exciting offer! 🌍 Spend £20 or more on a single order between Wednesday 3rd July and Wednesday 10th July to receive a FREE Tropic Tote Bag! 🌍 Please note that this offer is available for online orders only, and does not include orders placed through me. 🌱 http://www.tropicskincare.com/jennysutton 🛍🌍♻️🌱 #Vegan #VeganMakeUp #VeganSkinCare #CrueltyFree #Fresh #Natural #SkinCare #MakeUp #Beauty #AgainstAnimalTesting #PlanetEarth #NotTestedOnAnimals #Peta #Rainforest #VeganSkinProducts #Health #Wellbeing #Skin #Plasticbagfree #Green #ReducePlasticWaste #plasticbag #platsicbagfree #LoveOurEnvironment #LoveOurPlanet #StopPlasticPollution #Free #Offer (at Preston, Lancashire) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bzc8qWhA45D/?igshid=s1g3g52vj1pc

[fittnessmidwife]

My last reuseable coffee cup broke 😢! I refuse to use a takeaway cup . I don’t want to add to landfill and as an extra bonus you get money off your drinks 👌🏻 Had a little look around and found @thebiogonation and really liked their designs and the fact they use essentially a waste product to make cute sustainable drink wear. #biogonation #ecofriendly #sustainable #reuseablecoffecup #saynotoplastic #waronplastic #plasticfree #eco #ecofriendlyliving #sustainableliving #sustainability #saveourplanet #saveouroceans #thereisnoplanetb #health #plantbased #liveconsciously (at Gorseinon) https://www.instagram.com/p/B0D0tQfDSWL/?igshid=12tub0fiaifld

[bbjames69]

War on Plastic: The Battles

It’s official: the planet is dying.

What a shame.  So young – a mere 4.5 billion years – and here it is, on its celestial deathbed, breathing its last, soon to be eulogised in its wake as a great (and only, as far as we know) sustainer of life when it was, itself, alive too.

Well, this is what they are telling us, anyway.  I’m not sure the actual planet will expire, but if the experts are correct, the human race may have to be replaced by a new species which feeds on plastic and palm oil, doesn’t need rainforests, and can thrive in a super-heated world with no ice caps but lots and lots of water.

Random rantings from certain ill-informed world leaders aside, there’s not really any reason to suppose the experts are getting it all that wrong, either.  After all, they are called ‘experts’ for a reason (expertise: there’s a clue in that word somewhere), they are paid well enough to know how to figure out when and how doomsday will be upon us, and they really don’t have any reason to put the frighteners on us all just for laughs.

So what do we do?  Simple, right?  We eat a bit less meat, we stop using unsustainable palm oil, avoid plastic at all costs, and refuse anything which has been tested on (or otherwise cruel to) any of our furry, or even not-so-furry, animal friends. 

Piece of cake.  Except, of course, that cake is in plastic with ‘oil (palm)’ listed high up in the ingredients box, printed in that teeny tiny font you need to squint to make sense of.  Oh and worse, the plastic states proudly that it’s ‘not yet recyclable’, or some such useful information meaning that it’s too late really: whether you buy the cake or not, that bit of plastic is there and always will be somewhere, failing to bio-degrade in someone’s bin, landfill, or – worse – the sea. 

But I still want to eat cake, dammit. 

And, as a vaguely organic human requiring sustenance to, you know, stay alive and all that, I need other food too.  And not just food: things to wash with, clean with, brush teeth with, floss with (no, not the dance), paint the house with (yes darling I will get round to it, promise).  You get the picture. 

So here we are.  Can we, in fact, get by in this life, in this world, by cutting out plastic?  Even ‘recyclable’ plastic which can’t be cranked round and round our routines indefinitely?  Can we avoid palm oil, or only use products which rely on ‘sustainable’ palm oil and don’t decimate the rainforests we need to help curb our collective carbon footprint?  Can we make sure we don’t help unscrupulous manufacturers inflict unnecessary suffering on the animal world which we must all love (or else how come Mr Attenborough is so popular)?

Well, let’s find out.  This is the blog where I will chart my own progress. Teaming up with my equally-determined wife,  I’ll find out where to get plastic-free products, how to make my own stuff, who’s on the not-so-animal-loving naughty list, which companies are already making a difference, and even write to some of our favourites to ask them what they are doing about it all.  And yes, I shall certainly let you all know what they say.

Hope you approve, Mother Earth.

[fearku]

🐳🦀⏳🦀🐳 assemblages begin from one beach clean #art from #plastic … #waronplastic #plasticspoonsarebad #noplanetb #beatplasticpollution #saveourplanet #beachclean #artistsoninstagram #artoftheday #4oceans #plasticisbad #nomoreplastic #saveouroceans #helptheenvironment #letsdothis #bigcleanup #cleanup #forthefuture #plasticfree #4oceans #lush #plasticisbad #nomoreplastic #saveouroceans #helptheenvironment #letsdothis #bigcleanup #cleanup #reusable #friendly #ecofriendly #saveourplant #forthefuture 🐳🦀⏳🦀🐳 https://www.instagram.com/p/Bw9VuonlE-f/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=17tw5mizz4boh

[roes-in-the-east]

Eco Coconut Shell scourer. Yeap, this slice of coconut shell is awesome. I use it on my cast iron pans and it gets everything off. The great thing is when the edge gets a little frayed you can just cut it back to a sharp edge again. So these guys will last ages. . We only have 5 left in stock. So grab a bargain in our clearance sale. . #supportsmallbusiness #toxinfree #toxinfreeliving #plasticpollution #plasticfree #plasticfreejuly #livingplasticfree #plasticfreelifestyle #noplastichere #plasticfreebathroom #plasticfreekitchen #earthsavingmum #oneswapatatime #31swapsin31days #savetheoceans #savetheplanet #waronplastic #plasticwar #savetheforest #bethechange #wastefreelife #reduceplastic #climateactivist #naturesway #toxinfreeliving #closingdown #bargainhunters #clearancesale #keepitreal #shopuk https://www.instagram.com/p/CBvj6h4HLtt/?igshid=1ginwgigkmfmi

[toywalker]

This is one of the last series of Battlesaur 1-offs we did in celebration of the video game release last year. Steven baptized him #Barbarosaurus! Couldn't have thought of a better name for him! ✌️ Repost @choking_hazard_tv • • • • • • ☠️Thanks to @waronprehis @underworldmuscle #dinosaur #warrior #waronplastic #waronprehis #chokinghazard #choking_hazard_tv https://www.instagram.com/p/B9SO2S6quRl/?igshid=1i4ar5ipbichj

[refillaylesbury]

Did you know? If not share to let others know, if you did know... still share as others might not. :-) #Refillaylesbury #refill #saynotoplastic #refillnotlandfill #refillrevolution #aylesbury #fasion #love #eco #ecofriendly #ecofriendlyproducts #waronplastic #compostable #follow #share #tag Find us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter https://www.instagram.com/p/B7nont8Fzo9/?igshid=ptnzk8wbuakq

[sustainme-in]

Sustainable-practices . Did you know ? What's sustinablity ? . "Meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs " . . . Follow @sustainme.in for more updates on sustainable living & sustainable products . . . #zerowastelifestyle #waronplastic #plasticfreechallenge #nomoreplastic #zerowastesolutions#ecofriendly #wastefree #sustainable#zerowaste #sustainability #reduceplastic #plasticfreeliving#bethechange #incredibleindia #india #china #nasa #lifewithoutplastic #vegan #plastic #plasticfree #saveourplanet #yoga #ytt #planttrees #regrann (at Bangalore, India) https://www.instagram.com/p/B45C6gfnTr6/?igshid=60uyn97i4csi

[fab-food-4-all]

Rather than buy a new poppy today I made my donation to @royalbritishlegion and explained that I would wear my poppy from last year. I found it in a drawer the other day and decided not to throw it away as I'm so mindfull of plastic pollution. I've read on their website that they plan to stop using plastic which can't come soon enough. They also say you can recycle your poppies in Sainsbury's.. I'm going to hang on to mine for as long as possible. We really need to change our mindsets as the throw away culture has landed us in the environmental mess we're in. #floweroftheday @farmersgirlcook @choclette8 @madaboutmacarons @fairydust_dragon #waronplastic https://www.instagram.com/p/B4Ya1guA0Nr/?igshid=433xkq2eoxfj

[mytreetv]

#Enkeltauglichkeit Repost @sustainability.warriors • • • • • • Did you know we have now entered the sixth mass extinction, the Holocene extinction? 🙄 . . Follow @sustainability.warriors for more updates on sustainable living. #zerowastelifestyle #waronplastic #plasticfreechallenge #nomoreplastic #zerowastesolutions#ecofriendly #wastefree #sustainable#zerowaste #sustainability #reduceplastic #plasticfreeliving#bethechange #lifewithoutplastic#plastic #plasticfree #vegan #mom #veganactivist #saveourplanet #yoga #ytt #planttrees https://www.instagram.com/p/B4XSKXtjVs7/?igshid=1wulyy89sgnt8

[sjosiden]

#biofilmbærere

10. oktober 2019 6 stk vanlig Halden-type 59°07'08"N 11°22'45"E https://osm.org/go/0ZADOrUI?m= (Jernbanebrygga, #Halden sentrum) #mbbr, #WarOnPlastic, #renthav[/share]

[zenwooddesign]

Up early this morning with a poorly little Rex so sketched this out whilst he watched peppa pig. (Only had a broken brown pencil available 😆)The environmental issues being championed by @gretathunberg at the moment are very important and on my mind. Draw your own conclusions about the meaning behind the sketch and have a ruddy good day 😘xx #savingtheplanet #savetheplanet #waronplastic https://www.instagram.com/p/B3EQeKyHdyD/?igshid=hpt6erfd1xtd

[realchampagnesocialist1-blog]

#Repost @eco.medy • • • • • • Be thankful to these beautiful trees. . . . follow- @eco.medy for more such posts. . . credits - @lunarbaboon. . . #zerowastelifestyle #waronplastic #plasticfreechallenge #nomoreplastic #zerowastesolutions#ecofriendly #wastefree #sustainable#zerowaste #sustainability #reduceplastic #plasticfreeliving#bethechange #lifewithoutplastic#plastic #plasticfree #vegan #mom #activist #saveourplanet #yoga #ytt #planttrees #regrann https://www.instagram.com/p/B20gvM9AchU/?igshid=gb3tbe5dccyr