Tips for going plastic free

Here I am going to share a few tips and tricks I have for going plastic free. These are just things that helped me to stay plastic-free and make my life a little easier.

Start small

When you are going plastic-free, it’s easiest to start small. Move from one aspect of life to the next. Meaning starting in the kitchen. First remove easy things, working your way up from cutting out plastic produce bags to pre-washed salad in plastic tubs. Give yourself time to use what you already have as to not create more plastic waste for no reason. Then move on to the bathroom, slowly cutting out plastic shampoo bottles and conditioner. Then toothpaste containers. Find replacements for what you already have, this can make the change a lot less difficult to wrap your head around. Instead of a plastic straw, you’ll use a metal one. Instead of a plastic shampoo bottle, you’ll use a shampoo bar soap. You have to be thoughtful about the inconveniences you will experience while living this way. But instead of treating it like an inconvenience you can treat it like a game. How will I avoid single-use plastic today? Where will I go to get milk and bread today without plastic packaging? It requires a certain understanding and mindset of the massive undertaking you are about to go through.

Make a plan

For me, it really helped if I sat down at the beginning of the week and gave myself time to plan out my meals and other things that I was going to do. This gave me time to think about where I was going and what I was going to eat which made it a lot easier to live plastic-free. I was able to plan my meals accordingly to my constraints. Having a plan also allowed me to have less stress when it came to everyday life because I wasn’t worried about not being able to eat something or do something because it include plastic.

Make a survival kit

Have your plastic-free survival kit with you at all times. This is usually reusable utensils and straws, a reusable water bottle, and a bag. This can make your life so much easier when you are out and about in a world surrounded by plastic.