In our pursuit to make the world all the bit greener, we’ve teamed up with Farmdrop - London’s ethical online supermarket who deliver fresh groceries from sustainable farmers and food producers using electric vehicles and reduced packaging. To get you started on your zero-waste journey, Farmdrop have given us their top 10 eco swaps to start living plastic free:
Did you know that 80 per cent of the world’s toothbrushes end up in our oceans? Or that it takes up to a thousand years for the average shampoo bottle to decompose? Little by little, we can all do our bit to cut waste and help the planet, whether that’s swapping our plastic toothbrush for bamboo, ditching our lotion bottles for compostable alternatives or investing in reusable Beeswax Wraps in place of cling film. Here are 10 easy swaps you can make to start living plastic-free.
1. Say No To Bottled Water
Avoid buying water when on the go and invest in a durable bottle that you can fill and take with you. Beautifully simple and made using sustainably sourced bamboo, Panda Packaging’s Bamboo Bottle will help to keep your drinks cool through the summer months. Download the super handy Refill App to find free refill stations wherever you are around London.
2. Pack It Properly
Lunch al-desko needn’t be a plastic-wrapped sandwich from your nearest shop. Plan ahead and pack up your lunch in this neat Bamboo Lunchbox with lightweight cutlery you can use again and again.
3. Don’t Grab At Straws
The UK uses about 8.5 billion plastic straws per year, which averages out at 130 straws per person. Do your bit to make a dent in the waste and sip from these nifty reusable bamboo alternatives.
4. Put your money where your mouth is
80 per cent of the world’s toothbrushes end up in our oceans. Make the switch to Georganics’ Eco-Friendly Toothbrush, made from 100% biodegradable bamboo.
Georganics are an incredible oral care brand who avoid any synthetic chemicals which are bad for our health and the environment. Try it with their activated Charcoal Toothpaste and Spearmint Mouthwash Tablets which both come in reusable glass jars.
5. Periods are natural, so shouldn’t feminine care be too?
Well, now it is. Disruptive femme care brand &Sisters are giving women a choice that’s better for the planet. The nüdie Period Cup can be washed and reused every month.
Using a nüdie cup can help you save more than 2,000 disposable period products over 10 years, minimise your carbon footprint and, ultimately, reduce your impact on the environment. Watch this to learn more about &Sisters’ amazing ethos.
6. Shower with a conscience
Ban bottles of shampoo and shower gels from your bathroom, and exchange them with a Living Naturally Coconutty Soapnut Bar. Made only with organic and vegan ingredients as well as pure essential oils, it’s super moisturising for your skin and hair, and comes without any plastic packaging.
7. Plastic-free cling film
Rather than using cling film or foil that you throw away after one use, The Beeswax Wrap Co‘s reusable, compostable food wraps can be washed and re-used again and again for months. Whether you’re wrapping bread or your leftover lunch, these cling film alternatives keep your food super fresh, too.
8. Milk in glass bottles
Remember when our milk used to be delivered in glass bottles? Well, the guys at Ivy House Farm are bringing it back. Farmdrop delivers Ivy House’ organic milk in glass bottles and they can be returned in your next order for them to reuse again. If you’re looking for dairy alternatives, M*lkman make delicious kinds of nut milk in glass bottles, too.
9. Compostable coffee pods
Sales of coffee pods are booming, but did you know they can take at least 150 years to decompose? Speciality roaster Volcano Coffee Works is among the first to create fully compostable coffee pods that mean you can enjoy coffee with convenience – without costing the earth.
10. Think about your laundry
Have you ever thought about the plastic that comes out of your clothes when you wash them? Or what happens to your clothes when you throw them away? The micro-plastics end up in our oceans (which then ends up on our shores, in our food and in our bodies), and our unwanted clothes in landfill. Make a daily difference by washing less and taking extra care when you do so. Companies like BLANC are making it their mission to help improve people’s health and the environment by “cleaning up” the toxic dry cleaning industry that is ruining our planet with its old fashioned ways.
