In my last article, I wrote about how I ended up not consuming plastic anymore, or rather, bringing it home knowingly. But it has a funny way of sneaking in anyway, don't you think? On top of that, we are constantly surrounded by unnecessary plastic, which lives a short life. After we transport a product home and open up its packaging, we discard it and… off it goes. But to where? To the landfills, where it will stay forever. Well, for approximately 800 years or so.
If one thinks about how long a piece of plastic is around, it's disgusting. It's poisonous, and we're drowning in it. Our waterways are filled with plastic waste, and not only that. Have you heard about the Friendly Floatees spill? In a way, it's a kind of cool and interesting story, but there's nothing like that about the huge garbage patch floating in the Pacific Ocean.
Dried soap berries/nuts, natural sponges and brushes, cleaning soap — natural plastic-free items that help keep your home and laundry clean.
What can we as consumers do? Quite a lot. First, we should think about our present, the future, and planet Earth. Based on this, we should care and make changes in our consumer behaviour. Every time we buy something, we vote. But we can say no to plastic. We are living in wonderful times – we can get many necessary items that are plastic (packaging) free. The products we use most are easy to find and made with materials other than plastic. And the best part is that most of these things are reusable. A one-time purchase will serve us for a long time.
The gallery below consists of basic everyday and household items that are very easy to come across. I am very thankful that I could include my items in this photo shoot along with items provided by the wonderful Anu Pihlak. She is a true environmentalist — she doesn't use plastic and makes conscious purchase decisions. Anu is into swapping and donating things, loves thrifting, dumpster diving, and keeps pet hens in her small town garden. There is a lot to learn from her!
Photo gallery
Alternatives for day to day plastics
Alternatives for day to day plastics
Plastic wrapper-free soap is really easy to find, even from conventional stores. Health food stores often sell packaging-free soaps.
The water bottle market is expansive. A reusable water bottle is the easiest alternative to single-use plastic water bottles. You can refill your reusable metal or glass bottle and keep it cool and accessible at all times.
Bamboo toothbrushes can be found at drugstores, all health food stores, and even at Winners and similar stores.
Use reusable snack bags and keep your food away from single-use plastic containers. They're good for dry and wet food items.
These reusable metal straws unfortunately come in a plastic pouch, but the straws will last a whole lifetime!
Lunch boxes come in different materials, including metal, glass, and bamboo — take your pick! Reuse glass food jars to store dried goods, cookies, or soups, or use them to transport food. Your options are endless.
Brushes, sponges, soaps, and washing detergents are something you can get packaging-free and plastic-free with ease. Have you heard of soap nuts and soap berries?
Though some of the bags pictured here are made of plastic, they are durable and last for many, many years compared to the average plastic bag. Now, when they are no longer available at stores, invest in a couple of reusable bags and have them in your purse, car, or backpack.
The days of cling wrap in the kitchen are over. Use reusable food wraps. They come in different sizes, some are even vegan, and they will last way longer than plastic cling wrap.
These items pictured here are from Anu's grandmother. Imagine how long these have lasted, and yet, they're still nice and soft. And if they are no longer presentable, they make excellent cleaning rags.
Anu reuses this spray bottle, which had something else inside it first when she bought it. She fills it with a vinegar and water solution, which is equally efficient as conventional chemical household cleaners, but without the poisonous parts. The small rags were cut from an old towel, which couldn't be used for hands anymore. But they make excellent cleaning rags!
Don't sleep on plastic bedding. Check what it's made of before purchasing it. Cotton, especially organic cotton, should be the first pick.
The same goes for these kitchen towels — they are natural and long-lasting everyday items that Anu got from her grandmother. They get the job done!
Plastic wrapper-free soap is really easy to find, even from conventional stores. Health food stores often sell packaging-free soaps.
The water bottle market is expansive. A reusable water bottle is the easiest alternative to single-use plastic water bottles. You can refill your reusable metal or glass bottle and keep it cool and accessible at all times.
Bamboo toothbrushes can be found at drugstores, all health food stores, and even at Winners and similar stores.
Use reusable snack bags and keep your food away from single-use plastic containers. They're good for dry and wet food items.
These reusable metal straws unfortunately come in a plastic pouch, but the straws will last a whole lifetime!
Lunch boxes come in different materials, including metal, glass, and bamboo — take your pick! Reuse glass food jars to store dried goods, cookies, or soups, or use them to transport food. Your options are endless.
Brushes, sponges, soaps, and washing detergents are something you can get packaging-free and plastic-free with ease. Have you heard of soap nuts and soap berries?
Though some of the bags pictured here are made of plastic, they are durable and last for many, many years compared to the average plastic bag. Now, when they are no longer available at stores, invest in a couple of reusable bags and have them in your purse, car, or backpack.
The days of cling wrap in the kitchen are over. Use reusable food wraps. They come in different sizes, some are even vegan, and they will last way longer than plastic cling wrap.
These items pictured here are from Anu's grandmother. Imagine how long these have lasted, and yet, they're still nice and soft. And if they are no longer presentable, they make excellent cleaning rags.
Anu reuses this spray bottle, which had something else inside it first when she bought it. She fills it with a vinegar and water solution, which is equally efficient as conventional chemical household cleaners, but without the poisonous parts. The small rags were cut from an old towel, which couldn't be used for hands anymore. But they make excellent cleaning rags!
Don't sleep on plastic bedding. Check what it's made of before purchasing it. Cotton, especially organic cotton, should be the first pick.
The same goes for these kitchen towels — they are natural and long-lasting everyday items that Anu got from her grandmother. They get the job done!
Some examples of (mostly Canadian) companies that are selling plastic-free or reusable non-plastic items include:
Do you already use some reusable plastic-free items in your everyday life? If so, then please let me know about them and why you love them. You can send me an email at kerly (at) kerlyilves (dot) com.
