Six Ways to Reduce Your Plastic Use
I tell the kids all the time how lucky they are to have what they have and how we should appreciate and be grateful for our environment and all that we have. At the ages of 6 and 7, I know they don’t fully understand what I mean but I think it’s important to continually relate this to them.
As a parent I want them to learn about the importance of looking after what we’ve got and making the right decisions based on our world and what our world needs.
I’m a big advocate of living as eco-friendly as we can. Over the last few years we’ve started as a family to make small changes which I believe that long term will make big changes.
I know that by doing these things, my kids will ask questions and long term begin to see what we are doing as the norm.
I’m a strong believer that nothing is impossible. No matter the situation. Here are 6 ways that’s we as a family have taken the leap to make changes for the better.
- We use shampoo bars to wash our hair. Shampoo bars aren’t always easy to transport especially when the kids go for their weekly swimming lessons so we’ve started using the shampoo that the gym supplies in the shower instead so we don’t need to buy shampoo bottles.
- We only use soap bars instead of shower gels. I have a selection at home in different colours and smells and the kids love picking which they prefer to use at bath or shower times.
- I use a bamboo toothbrush to brush my teeth. The kids also have their own too and I’m always explaining to them why the bamboo ones are more environmentally friendly than plastic ones. Now don’t get me wrong they still don’t fully understand but again I believe that by telling them, it soon becomes the norm for them.
- Both my kids love water. Ask Kobe my son what his favourite drink is and I’m sure he’ll tell you water. He hates juice so won’t drink it and as a baby detested anything liquid with flavour. Thea on the other hand, well she loves juice but only gets it at a party or if she has a friend round for a play date. It’s more of a treat then, we all use a reusable water bottle and prefer not to buy plastic water bottles when possible. I simply tell the kids that the less plastic bottles we use, the better it is for the earth.
- I’ve started to introduce toothpaste tablets into our lifestyle. It’s an interesting one for the kids so it’s funny watching them use and try this alternative but how cool for them to learn now at this age that this can be their norm instead.
- I swapped to a safety razor a few years ago. Shaving razors made out of plastic and their packaging can find their way into landfill (and often the oceans). They take hundreds of years to decompose. Changing to a safety razor means less plastic waste as you only need to dispose of the used double edge blades which are recyclable and 100% plastic free.
There are many more things that have become our norm but I just wanted to share a few simple things that we’ve been able to do right away to make a difference and to reduce the amount of plastic that we use. The best solution for us and the earth is to use less plastic so that we recycle less and less. Recycling helps but it’s not the only answer. I’d love to hear of any ways that you’re thinking of making changes or have made changes. Together our small changes really can make a huge difference.