Going Green: Save money and waste during plastic free month

For example, you can buy a simple pack of biscuits with just one film wrap around them or alternatively, a box of biscuits complete with tray, internal and external wrap and sometimes, for very posh brands, even individual wrappers. The biscuit doesn’t taste any better but the bins fill up fast and they cost far more. The average Brit creates 76kg of plastic waste annually, twenty times more than in 1974.So save money and waste during plastic free month. The initiative has been going for thirteen years and has its own hashtags #plasticfreemonth and #plasticfreejuly. While it’s designed to help us look at our plastic use and see how we can reduce it, research suggests around 80 percent of plastic pollution could be erased by improving waste collection and investment in recycling.

Globally, 46 percent of all plastic waste goes to landfill with just 15 percent going for recycling – 22 percent becomes litter and 17 percent is incinerated.

In terms of the UK, five million tonnes of plastic are used annually with half of that used for packaging. The stats are shocking so rather than taking fruit and veg that’s wrapped in plastic, take the loose stuff and pop it straight in your basket or trolley. Buy everyone in the family a bottle they can reuse to avoid plastic bottles. Make it a habit to take your drink bottle with you in a bag so you never have to buy water when you’re out. Avoid ready meals by cooking double portions and putting half in the freezer for days when convenience is everything.

If you don’t have one already, a reusable coffee cup not only helps the environment but a lot of cafes take money off your coffee price when you bring in your own cup.

Most of us already use bags for life in local stores but shopping on the high street rather than internet shopping usually reduces packaging. Lots of us rely on clingfilm for packed lunches but using containers with lids or beeswax wraps mean you’re washing and reusing rather than using and ditching.

Think about storing leftovers in bowls with plates on top too rather than buying plastic boxes for them or use jars to store leftovers. Whether it’s a spork or cutlery from home too, start getting used to taking what you might need with you rather than relying on plastic cutlery or straws when you’re out and about.

The hashtag has plenty more ideas and there are initiatives going on all over the country so whether you simply tweet or social media about what you’re doing or get involved in a more official way, make sure you spread the Plastic Free July message this month.