Ditch the plastic, it's really not that fantastic!
2017 was my year to try and cut down on the amount of plastic that I use on a daily basis. Influenced by the Sky Ocean Rescue Campaign, I took a good look at mine and my families use of plastic. I was horrified to see how much plastic I was using on a daily basis. Every time I bought some vegetables or fruit from the supermarkets they were wrapped up in plastic containers and plastic wrapping,
so that my precious goods didn’t get damaged. My recycling bin was getting fuller and fuller each week. It was horrifying to see.
We in Britain seem to be so obsessed by how our produce is packaged. Now, I for one am a Marketer's dream, I love things to be presented beautifully, but even I could see that it was getting out of hand. Why do I need a little plastic tray to put my Avocados on? My family and I have travelled quite a bit of the globe and most of the supermarkets we have been to in Europe, Australasia and South America seem to present their produce without any wrapping on them at all! So why does the UK do it?
With the Sky Ocean Rescue Campaign it has highlighted the amount of plastic that is going into our Oceans. Every minute a rubbish truck of plastic hits our oceans and the sad thing is that it will never decompose, so it will be there forever. One of the most horrifying facts is that by 2050 the plastic will weigh more than the fish in the oceans.
So, what can we do about it personally? Well instead of getting my fruit and vegetables from the supermarkets I now have mine delivered by Riverford, they use very little plastic, in fact most of their produce is delivered in brown paper bags. This has made a huge impact on my weekly recycling. However this may not suit all budgets, so an alternative would be to visit your local towns on market day and buy your produce from the Fruit and Veg sellers who very rarely have anything wrapped in plastic. If you buy your produce from them not only will you be reducing on your plastic waste but you will also be ticking the buying locally box and supporting your local traders!
As a Personal Trainer of over 2 years I have noticed a large majority of my clients using the ‘one off’ plastic water bottles, even in their own homes! Doing the maths I have calculated that my average client will work out 3 x a week. So that’s 3 bottles of water used each week which equates to 156 plastic bottles used in a year per client. Just think how many that would be if everyone who exercised used them! Horrifying!!
I am now on a mission to spread the word and get my clients to stop using these and buy metal or glass water bottles. There are some brilliant ones around and they will last you forever. If you go out and about most of coffee shops and restaurants should allow you to fill up your water bottle for free.
I have tried and tested some of the best water bottles on the market and here are my findings:
Chillys Waterbottle - from £15
https://www.chillysbottles.com/
Available in beautiful vibrant colours and various sizes (260ml, 500ml and 750ml) these bottles are awesome, they keep your water cold for up to 24 hours, are made from stainless steel and are BPA Free, plus they don’t leak! Winner!!
Lifefactory Waterbottles - from £20.00 on Amazon
www.amazon.co.uk
Lifefactory 475ml Glass waterbottles are safely enclosed in a non-slip silicone sleeve and are BPA. Whilst they don’t keep your water cold like the Chilly’s bottles, they are dishwasher safe and again they are leak free.
Onegreenbottle Waterbottles - from £11.00
https://www.onegreenbottle.com/
Onegreebottle is a british company who supply stainless steel water bottles with a range of different caps and in a large range of colours. They even do a range of bottles for the cyclist enthusiast too!
You can't go wrong with any of these water bottles, make the change today. Ditch that plastic!!
