Going Plastic Free: 5 easy changes to make

Plastic Free July is a thing; have you heard about it? It's a global initiative, and the challenge is simple: choose to refuse single-use plastic during July.

Sarah and I are dedicated to doing everything we can via Natural Supply Co to help protect the environment and reduce waste, so naturally we are on-board with Plastic Free July.

Here are five simple changes we have made, and you can too, to help minimise our negative impact on our planet.

1. Say no to plastic bags

I have become 'that person' that carries 639135 calico bags in my car so I am never without a reusable bag for my shopping. Recently, I left them in the car when I did our weekly supermarket shop, so I lumped every item back in the trolley after checking out, and packed the groceries into my bags in the car. It makes me feel stupidly virtuous to have stopped bringing wasteful plastic bags into our home! We love the Baggu reusable shopper that can carry up to 2-3 plastic grocery bags worth of stuff comfortably in hand or over your shoulder.

2. Don't buy bottled water

Apart from being a HUGE waste of money, bottled water is a massive pest for the environment. The plastic bottles simply do not break down. But there are amazing reusable water bottles on the market; we all use Melbourne-made Frank Green, and we stock them because we love them so much.

3. Refuse takeaway coffee cups

As highlighted on ABC's The War on Waste, 50,000 cups are binned every 30 seconds. And these cannot be recycled; they go straight to landfill. 

Remembering to carry around a reusable coffee cup may take some getting used to, but it's a small change to make a huge environmental impact. We stock a range of reusable coffee cups to suit your coffee choice.

4. Avoid cling wrap and plastic sandwich bags

Packing lunches and snacks is a great way to save money. Saving leftovers for lunches is also a great way to eat well... but so often we use cling wrap without even realising in these situations. There are several ways to change habits here:

- Use reusable food covers as a cling wrap alternative to use over bowls/plates in the fridge. 

- Use Ever Eco Resuable Food Pouches instead of sandwich bags to carry around snacks and sandwiches. I use mine to carry around food for Charlie whenever we are out and about; this is another product we've started to carry at Natural Supply Co as we were such huge fans as customers.

- Use glass or reusable plastic containers such as the Seed & Sprout glass container set

5. Bring your own takeaway container

The TOGO Takeaway Box is the perfect way to takeaway a meal from your favourite cafe or restaurant, without using single use plastic containers. TIP: if you always have leftovers when you go out for dinner, you can bring them home in this! It's also perfect for picking up your favourite sushi.

We'd love to hear from you; what other tips do you have on reducing plastic use?