“Small positive acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world”.
Anonymous
🌱 Updated July 2019 🌱
This reusable ‘Starters Kit’ is full of practical items for those keen to live a little greener, all tried and tested by our family. In fact, they have become the essentials we reach for on a day-to-day basis in our quest to replace single-use plastic in our lives.
Our sustainable journey began by looking at simple ways we could minimise everyday waste and cure our single-use plastic habits. The first step was Shopping Plastic Bag-free using our Onya Bags. Once we had successfully established this habit we moved on to other areas of our daily routine where we could implement the switch to reusable items.
Getting organised really is the key to living a sustainable lifestyle along with setting yourself realistic goals.
It is also important to remember to be kind to yourself – starting slow is just fine! By introducing a couple of changes at one time you will naturally begin to discover other ways you can add eco-friendly habits into your everyday routine. With an estimated 8M metric tonnes of plastic ending up in our oceans every year, imagine one full garbage truck tipping in their entire contents every minute, the planet really needs us to succeed in #beingthechange.
Related Post: The Most Practical and Convenient Reusable Bag to Make Plastic Bag-Free Shopping Easy
1. Invest in Sandwich Wraps and Snack/Lunch Bags
Allow me to redeem myself for the size of the cling wrap admitted to in the Great Plastic Bag Stocktake. It is still in the cupboard because we have been regularly using a sandwich wrap instead. We use them for the children’s lunches every day because:
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Easily (and stylishly) eliminates the need for cling wrap and plastic lunch bags
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They make great table/lap mats to catch messy crumbs
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Using them as placemats provide extra protection on grubby public tables
Recently snack/lunch bags have been added to the collection after our Little Man came home from school and requested –
“One of those plastic bags for my lunch box treats which seal at the top!” because EVERYONE (are you sure?) in his class has them…!
So we had our chat regarding our stand against plastic and compromised with a reusable lunch bag – meltdown averted. Hopefully, his friends at school are looking at his sandwich wrap and lunch bags and are all going home asking for those. This would be a terrific solution to minimise the amount of rubbish which accumulates in school playgrounds.
Easy to wash, quick to dry and super practical.
Related Post: Lunch Box Essentials to Simplify Your Life, Save You Money and Change The World!
2. Carry Your Own Reusable Drink Bottle
According to the University of Queensland
- Australian’s spend over $400M on bottled water
- Bottled Water has a carbon footprint 300 times greater than tap water
Still not convinced?
Head over to the Clean Up Australia Website for more interesting facts and tips.
We drink a lot of water at our house so these large glass Grolsch bottles (see above) are great for extra storage – at least three friends of ours would agree. The handy bottles are usually found in liquor shops around Christmas.
Reusing not only minimises the impact our waste has on the environment, it also minimises the impact of everyday expenses on your weekly budget.
3. Choose to Use a Reusable Coffee Cup
Again the University of Queensland estimates 1B coffee cups are produced each year in Australia generating 7,000 tonnes of waste. Enough said…
My preferred reusable coffee cup (which this non-coffee drinker uses for tea and hot chocolates 😝) can be found here.
4. Pack a Reusable Straw
By now you have probably seen or at least heard of this you-tube clip showing a straw being removed from a turtles nose. I have added the link but I have to be honest and say I haven’t watched the full length because it broke my heart. This is one of the main reasons behind adding reusable straws to this collection.
The other incentive was seeing Plastic Free July list plastic straws in their ‘Top 4 items to avoid’ for those just starting out on their single-use journey. They are also supporting a campaign called The Last Straw which is encouraging business to stop using plastic stars altogether or place them under the counter for customers who specifically ask for them. How many times do you find yourself using a straw without even realising – do you really need it?
We use the silicone reusable straws as pictured due to having young children but you might prefer the glass or stainless steel ones.
5. This set of three adorably packaged Produce Bags
- Hemp Cotton – green beans, nuts, grains and bulk foods
- rePETe – squash, broccoli, carrots and celery
- rePETe Mesh – apples, oranges, onions, potatoes
These bags are all manufactured from recycled materials. The reason for the various fabrics is to absorb excess moisture, restrict airflow and allow natures ripening agent ‘ethylene’ to escape preventing over-ripening
They ‘stuff’ quick and easily in the produce stand pouch which is super convenient and takes up minimal room in your carry bag or car boot alongside your reusable shopping bags.
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All of these items are high on our list of ‘great present ideas’ and can be purchased from the Biome store (follow the links), the store CWMS is now lucky enough to be affiliated with. You can re-read the disclosure statement here if you missed the last post.
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Do you diligently use any of these above items and have five minutes to share your experience? Is there anything you use regularly to minimise single-use plastic items which should be added to this Starter Kit?
Please join in the conversation:
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Looking forward to hearing from you,
X Shea
Previous conversations
Last week…Affiliated with Biome Eco Stores
Lights Out For Earth Hour
Latest find at Biome – Sustainable, natural, ethically sourced materials. Perfect stocking filler…
The Most Practical and Convenient Reusable Bag to Make Plastic Bag-Free Shopping Easy
Next Week – Eat Throw Grow
25 Responses to Starters Kit – 5 Reusable Items to Replace Single-use Plastic