WHY SHOULD I USE LESS PLASTIC?
Plastic is one of the most widely used and cheapest materials in the world today, and only 9% has ever been recycled. You can find it anywhere. If it’s not made from plastic, it’s wrapped in plastic.
Worldwide we are now producing nearly 300 million tons of plastic every year, half of which is disposable. More than 8 million tons of plastic is dumped into our oceans every year. This has extremely negative consequences to our oceans and the creatures living in it.
Here are some easy plastic free tips if you’re looking for ways to reduce your plastic waste. Hope that this will help with your plastic free journey!
Bring your own reusable bottle
Plastic bottles take roughly 450 years to decompose
Annually the Netherlands throws away 900 million plastic bottles! Invest in a stainless steel or reusable plastic bottle (like Dopper) and stop buying plastic bottles of water. Mine is from Hydroflask, which keeps ice water ice cold for up to 24 hours or piping hot up to 12.
If you’re a coffee drinker, be aware that most coffee cups can’t be recycled. Use a reusable coffee cup like our SoL Cups. Nowadays, you get a discount of €0,25 if you bring your own cup at spots like AH to go, Starbucks, Kiosk and many more.
Use a bamboo toothbrush
Plastic toothbrushes takes approximately 300 years to decompose.
The toothbrushes from Hydrophil are biodegradable and are made of bamboo, which is one of the most sustainable materials out there. It is one of the fastest growing materials, it requires no pesticides and very little water.
Bring your own bag(s)
More than one million bags are used every minute.
I always try to have a cotton bag with me just in case I make a spontaneous trip to the supermarket. For fruits & veggies I bring small cottons bags and try to avoid the ones wrapped in plastic, but still sometimes that is quite hard. Try your local farmer’s market where there’s an abundance of package free food.
Switch to shampoo, conditioner and soap bars
Shampoo & conditioner and soap bars are definitely one of the best plastic free swaps out there. I got my shampoo bar from Lush in Amsterdam about 3 months ago and I’m only halfway through. I’m a big fan theirs; they are against animal testing, they use ocean plastic to make their tubs and offer are range of package free products. My conditioner is from HelemaalShea and it leaves my hair so soft and nurtured. My regular soap bar is from Zeeplokaal with activated charcoal and tea tree oil, which helps detoxify and get rid of impurities on your skin. These bars go a LONG WAY.
Ditch plastic straws
Plastic straws cannot be recycled and take 250 years to decompose.
Switching to metal straws is the first thing I did in my plastic free journey. It’s one of the most used plastic things out there, but it last more than a lifetime to decompose. So many animals mistake it for food because of its pretty colors and small size, which causes great harm to them. Fortunately, plastic straws will be banned in 2021 in the EU! For now, you could start using a (reusable) eco-friendly straw. There are so many options out there: paper straws, bamboo straws, stainless steel metal straws and even glass straws.
Join the plastic free revolution!
At Plastic Free Amsterdam, we also offer other plastic free products for daily use on our website. From reusable facial rounds, to natural toothpastes & deodorants. And hopefully soon many many more. Follow us to stay updated :)
PS: Share this post with your friends and family and let them know how easy plastic free swaps are.
Love,
Ariana
