♻️🌍 10 Ways to be more Environmentally Conscious🌍 ♻️

It is becoming increasingy popular at the moment to be more environmentally conscious (what an awesome thing to become popular, saving the planet- yehaw). This means it is becoming even easier to make choices that not only save the planet but benefit you. As a kid it was always super important to me to make choices that helped save the environment, like not littering and protecting the bees so with it being brought to light that its not only important to dispose of our rubbish properly, but stop a demand for the products to begin with. Here are my top easy tips for starting to become more environmentally conscious and eco-friendly that I think are very achievable for the average person (like a broke ass uni student like me).

1. Reusable Water Bottle

What I consider one of the most easy switches. Getting a resuable water bottle can help drastically change the amount of plastic getting produced. The Guardian concluded that, “A million plastic bottles are bought around the world every minute,” and this is set to rise: So don’t be part of the statistic. By purchasing a reusable water bottle you are not only saving yourself money in the long run, as a resuable water bottle can be from £6-£20 making it quickly pay itself off, you are also reducing the demand for plastic water bottles to be made in the first place.

When purchasing one I suggest going for a stainless steel or glass water bottle. Hard plastic water bottles often have a lot of chemicals which can seep into your water. They also show wear over time meaning they need replaced more frequently. Glass and stainless steel are completely recyclable and can be endlessly recycled, whereas plastic can only be recycled about 2 times before the integrity of it degrades.

https://www.chillysbottles.com/uk/products/bottle-pastel-blue?sku=B500PABLU

2. Tote Bag

Another simple one that I feel like almost everyone has at this point. A resuable Tote Bag or a Bag for Life. Plastic bags or not recyclable in any shape or form and often end up in landfill and our oceans. I have even seen a post where it shows how similar plastic bags look to jellyfish and turtles are eating them by mistake. Lets not have any turtles munching on our carelessness. I personally go for a cotton bag as when it is thoroughly used and done, I can compost it. Using a plastic bag for life is way better than the 5p ones, but when it eventually wears through it will meet the same fate as regular plastic bags. I like to buy products that end my loop of waste. My favourite is my Lush ‘Fighting Animal Testing’ bag. It is sturdy and made from 100% organic cotton.

3. Travel Flask/ Reusable Coffee Cup

Okay so yet another easy one but although getting a reusable coffee cup is seemingly easy, for someone as picky as me its more about the specific one I found that I love.

My travel flask or reusable coffee cup is my favourite thing. I can make tea before I leave the house (also saving me extra dollar) and my tea will still be scoulding half an hour later. It’s the bees knees. Also if you take it into your local Starbucks (like the basic white girl I am) they will often knock off 25p for bringing in your own cup. This is an all round win win. My favourite cup is the Lifeventure Flask, as it is intended for camping and hiking, making it very sturdy. It also has a separate lid to allow hot air out so it doesn’t spit out when you open it up.

https://www.lifeventure.com/products/cookware/thermal-mug

Thanks Connor for being a very willing and helpful model 💓

4. Bamboo Toothbrush

When I first started showing interest in reducing my plastic a bamboo toothbrush was very hard to come across. Now they are way easier to find. However they can be a bit expensive compared to your average brush, some costing about £4. I find it cheaper to order in bulk online. You also have to be careful when buying your brush to make sure the bristles are also not plastic, and if you go to compost the brush, it will be filled with the bristles. I would like to explore alternatives to the bamboo toothbrush however, perhaps look into electric toothbrushes and compostable heads. This is due to me finding the bristles on some bamboo toothbrushes not firm enough and I find cheaper ones don’t do as good of a job. However this is coming from someone who is super high maintenance about oral hygiene, so this might work out well for you!

(This is my good ol' pride tooth brush)

5. Shampoo Bars

Another one of my personal favourites, the handy dandy shampoo bar. Before I made the switch a large bottle of shampoo would last me maybe a month and a half. A shampoo bar will last me double that and you reduce plastic yehaw! I use Lush’s ‘New’ Shampoo bar as I find it works the best with my hair. However if you want a sulfate free option there are plenty to choose from online. As shampoo bars tend to be made with more natural ingrediants your hair might have a bit of a ‘purge’ period in which it adapts to no longer being cleaned by chemicals. My hair personally went very oily and flat but after those initial few weeks it bounced back to life. So if a shampoo bar doesn’t work out at first, don’t worry! Just be prepared with a lot of dry shampoo!

6. A Bar of Soap

Just your average regular old bar of soap. Some people may find this one easy as they might already use one. Instead of shower jels I now just use soap. I often find that shower jels don’t work with my skin and I don't feel as clean and fresh as I'd like. Also you use them up so quickly and the means a lot of plastic bottles. Soap bars last for ages, I can never seem to get rid of them! I use a tea tree oil soap, tea tree oil being anti-bacterial and helps reduce bacteria that causes you to smell (especially when you sweat, as it is not the sweat that smells but the bacteria). A bar of soap last a long time, is great for travel and leaves you feeling squeky clean.

I keep my soap in this cute lil soap dish. My Safety Razor is also there... stay tuned for a review on that.

7. A Reusable Fountain Pen

Although this is not a completely plastic free option, I find it a lot better as it reduces the amount of plastic being produced and thrown away. I have also emailed the company I personally purchase from in hopes of them setting up a recycling scheme. My fountain pen is one of my most prized posessions. It may leak all over my fingers because it is broken but you will never see me part with it. I get ink inserts when the pen runs out and the pen itself is made from stailess steel. It also makes my writing look darn pretty if I do say so myself.

8. Reusable Straws

This is one that has been in media a lot since McDonalds started to get rid of their plastic straws and introduce paper ones. People started to complain and a petition was signed by thousands of people to bring back the plastic ones. To that I’m like come on lads wind your neck in. Yes paper straws go soggy if you sit and suck on them for ages but they are way better than a plastic straw that will remain on this earth for hundreds of years, for you have a more comfortable experience with your strawberry milkshake. An alternative to any of this hassle, as personally I am not fan of paper straws, I bring along my own reusable ones. These are made out of hard plastic, which is not ideal but came with cups I purchased maybe 5 years ago, so I am going to use what I have. There is also options for stainless steel and bamboo reusable straws.

9. Produce Bag

For those who love to get their loose fruit and veg (which in itself is reducing the amout of plastic being used for packaging yay) a produce bag is often need to keep the items sealed. I use this draw string bag from The Body Shop, which all the proceeds from the bags were given to a woman’s charity. This one is nice and big and I find that the drawstring makes it easy to just lob stuff in and get out. However sometimes I will use my knotwraps from Lush. These are made from recycled materials and also make great head-scarves.

10. Clothes

One things that I was very surprised to hear when I started not only thinking about my plastic consumption but also thinking ethically about my clothing choices, is that plastic is in clothing as well. Polyester is basically made from the same plastic that is drink bottles and tomato sauce bottles. This in itself isn’t an issue but the fact that is not a very durable material (not to mention it is not very breathable and makes me a bit of a sweaty betty) when disgarded it is just the same as chucking away a plastic bottle. However I believe its even worse because as the fribres break down into smaller and smaller pieces as plastic can never truly biodegrade but only become smaller, this means smalls pieces of plastic is entering our water and oceans. This also happens when we wash polyester, little particles of plastic get washed away. To reduce this I have started reading labels obsessively. Making sure to only purchase linen, cotton and other natural materials. These materials also last longer and are way more comfortable in my opinion.

So there we are, my top 10 tips to reduce your plastic TODAY! Although a lot of these are probably stuff you have already heard of, it important to emphasise the ways we can reduce our plastic easily, before progressing to things that are a lot more restrictive.This is not to say we can all be perfect. I have often been out and have forgotten my travel cup and have got a tea. Simply asking for it without a plastic lid makes the difference and everyone doing little things is what is going to save the world. (Along with big cooperations getting their act together lol).

I hope to do more blogs on sustainability and eco-friendly living as it is something I am very passionate about. Thanks for reading!