My friend Lucy & I have given up plastic for lent. I’m not religious, but every year she gives something up for lent & this year when I asked what she was giving up, she replied that we were giving up plastic.
What does giving up plastic mean?
- For me it means saying no to plastic bags always.
- Having at least one recyclable bag in my handbag at all times (I recently did this on a month long family holiday in the UK & used it almost daily).
- Being prepared when I go to the supermarket with bags in the car.
- Buying more ‘unpackaged’ foods – I now buy most of my flours, nuts & pantry health foods from Naked Foods Organic Health Foods & take my own jars (which they happily weigh before I fill them & also there’s no double handling).
- Taking a recyclable water bottle everywhere we go – the kids both have a Thermos drink bottle to keep water cool in summer & I fill my own before going out.
- I’ve gone off caffeine (2 weeks, going strong with decaf) which means not buying take-away coffees & no plastic lined coffee cups, as I just make one at home in the mornings.
- Saying no to soy sauce ‘fish’ bottles (I notice a LOT washed up on beaches).
- Not buying anymore plastic storage units – I started purchasing glass pyrex containers for food storage last year but refuse to throw out plastic tupperware for the sake of throwing it out (our tendency for overconsumption or to upgrade is where part of the problem stems from)
Lucy has already had 2 situations where she clearly asked for no plastic – once to a straw & then to flowers just being wrapped in paper, but it seems that the people providing the products just did it out of habit.
We need to grow our consciousness about what can be recycled when we do purchase plastics; & what can be recycled. I found on a recent trip to the UK, it was much more clear as to what could be recycled on packaging.
Next level of minimal plastic consumption for me is:
- Not buying products wrapped in plastic.
- Not ever using cling film/snap lock bags in the boys lunchboxes
- Utilising biodegradable rubbish bin liners
- Not purchasing toys made from plastic, especially those that are poorly produced & likely to break quickly, ending up as landfill/in the ocean
- On the occasions I purchase take-away sushi, taking my own container & putting it in there, rather than the plastic take-away containers.
- Influencing friends, families & the broader community on how each of them has the power to make a difference – decreasing the amount of plastic they use & the strength of the consumer voice (if everyone stops buying poorly made plastic toys, they will not be produced anymore).
So I pose this question to you, what are YOU doing to decrease plastic usage? You may not realise it, but if you just action saying no to plastic bags, & get a few mates to do the same, you are making a huge difference.
Thank-you. From me. My children. From future generations. We’ve got this one with your help.
alicegruzman.com 
Reblogged this on waste not want not and commented:
More people giving up plastic for Lent!
Loved this post. It will take a worldwide effort to help reverse this “plastic age”. You and I are definitely doing our parts.
Noah Brogle
habitofhelping.com
Thanks Noah, now we just need to get more people on board….