Fancy Becoming A Plastic Pioneer ? Here are 16 Quick & Easy Ways To Reduce Your Plastic Use.

Plastic is found EVERYWHERE these days. Our use of plastic is huge and it eventually gets thrown into the ocean which is not good for our planet now, or in the future for our children, or for our children’s children.

Of course plastic is a fantastic material it’s just that we need to think about how we are using it. Could we find an alternative  for that quick cup of coffee with a plastic lid? Could we use a metal reusable container instead of buying another drink of water in a plastic bottle?

Here are 16 ways you can reduce plastic waste & become a Plastic Pioneer.

1. Don’t use plastic straws. Avoiding plastic straws is one of the easiest things you can do to reduce plastic. Don’t ask for a straw when going out to eat with the kids as this will help a lot.  Buy the cardboard ones for home. Sign this petition if you feel strongly about it.
2. Reusable shopping bags. Instead of using plastic bags, buy some reusable bags. You will be really helping the environment while doing your shopping. Carry a reusable shopping bag with you?—?in the car, in your bag, in the boot, at all times?—?a big canvas bag is useful and practical.
3. Buy boxes not bottles. Cardboard can be more easily recycled and made into more products than plastic.
4. Stop using cling film. The greenest way to wrap your sandwiches is…. the immediate and obvious response is to use neither cling film or tin foil: use a washable container, such as a Tupperware, instead. But both clingfilm (or plastic film to my readers from distant shores) and tin foil (correctly called aluminium foil elsewhere) have proved to be highly convenient for many decades as a quick and easy method of preserving food.Tin foil can and should be recycled, whereas clingfilm – normally made from low-density polyethylene – is typically thrown out with other domestic waste, which then goes to landfill or incineration. Both are made from finite, energy-intensive resources, namely, aluminium and petroleum, respectively. So best to use a washable container.
5. Reuse containers. Try going to the mindset of using glass jars to store your food so that way you don’t have to use plastic containers. If you do have plastic containers, try to reuse them as well instead of throwing them away so that way you don’t have to keep re-buying them
6. Stop using plastic sandwich bags for your  kids snacks, packed lunches or picnics.
7. Reusable bottles and cups. There are so many water bottles being sold and used over time (just think of your child’s school as one example!) To prevent unnecessary waste, reuse your bottled water but better still use a metal container that you can refill. Drink tea and coffee from china cups and mugs.
8. Use matches. If you need to light anything, use matches instead of the cheap plastic lighters. If you really want a lighter, pick up a refillable metal one to help cut down on waste.
9. Skip the frozen food section. Many frozen foods are packaged with plastic bags. Avoiding frozen foods, You’ll be eating fewer processed foods and avoiding the chemicals in their plastic packaging.
10. Don’t use plastic kitchenware. Try to avoid using plastic utensils.
11. Use a bar  of soap instead of liquid soap in plastic bottles.
12. Buy and eat fresh whole food from a market?—?not plastic wrapped. Check out A Plastic Planet’s Campaign for a plastic free aisle in supermarkets.
13. Switch to using cloth nappies. Disposable nappies use a huge amount of  plastic so switching to cloth nappies, is a win /win as you’ll not only reduce your baby’s carbon footprint, you’ll also save money. Switching to washable nappies is an environmentally-friendly alternative to disposable nappies. For more information click on Green Choices.
14. Don’t buy juice. Juices are usually in plastic bottles. If you make your own juice, you won’t have to use plastic and it’s also better for you because you’ll be getting more vitamins and antioxidants and less high fructose corn syrup. Start thinking about how things are packaged and go for the plastic free choice.
15. Pack a greener lunch. Try to pack a lunch without plastic bags. Start using reusable containers, you will help a lot as well as save money.
16. Use reusable razors. Use a razor with replaceable blades instead of a disposable razor.

We really can all make a difference if we ‘Pause To Ponder’ & do one or two small things consistently – it’s not about preaching from a soap box but about saving our planet from suffocation.

More than eight million tonnes of plastic is thrown away each year and washed out to sea.

It takes centuries to break down. It’s eaten by marine creatures. And it’s in our food chain. Your seafood supper may have a synthetic garnish. Scientists just don’t know what effects it has on our health.

Sky Ocean Rescue is doing something about it. To get involved, visit the campaign website here. You can also watch our documentary, A Plastic Tide.