Imagine a world without plastic waste. That’s the mission for Plastic-Free July – to build a global movement that dramatically reduces plastic use and improves recycling, worldwide. We’ll be posting PFJ tips and blog posts with ideas all month!
Gardens are a great way to eliminate plastic in the kitchen. From herbs in a pot to raised beds in the yard fresh food tastes better and creates less waste!
Plaine Products offers citrus lavender hand wash to help make it easy to avoid single use plastic by the sink! Plus no toxins or anti bacterial ingredients. Instead, our use of aloe will help keep your skin from drying out while it stops germs.
Beeswax wraps are a great alternative to plastic wrap. You can purchase them or make them on your own. We’ve got instructions on the blog.
Cooking at home is a great way to avoid single use plastic. No take out containers, plastic utensils or cups. Give yourself an extra pat on the back the next time you make a meal!
Reusable cleaning supplies are also a great way to avoid single use plastic. Use washcloths instead of paper towels, for example!
While composting doesn’t help you avoid plastic, it does help slow global warming! Really! Did you know that in landfills normally food and yard waste doesn’t break down the same way it does in nature? In a landfill there’s no oxygen, all of the materials are too tightly packed. So instead, as it breaks down it releases methane gas, a more potent green house gas than the normal carbon dioxide, into the air. We’ve got more information on our blog post about composting.
Sometimes cooking at home won’t work or you just need a break from the kitchen. Avoid the to go container dilemma – take your own! Did you know Styrofoam is a form of plastic that’s incredibly difficult to recycle even once? Best to skip it all together.
For those times you do end up with a plastic to go container don’t feel bad, just make sure it gets a few more uses before you recycle it. Use it for a picnic, lunch on the go or as a to go box for another meal. Multiple use is better than single-use but do NOT put them in the dishwasher, microwave or use them to store food in the freezer. Extreme heat and cold encourages the nasty chemicals to leech into your food.
“When did it become easier to extract oil from the ground, refine it, shape it into a spoon, distribute spoons, and have people buy them to stir a cup of coffee than for us to just wash a spoon?” – I read this on the internet and it struck a cord. For those times when you can’t wash a spoon there are compostable and wooden options.
Did you know tea bags often contain plastic? Not to mention the packaging. Loose leaf tea is a great way to avoid all that plastic! Often you can get tea containers refilled at local stores.
