It's our favourite time of the year, Plastic Free July. We focus a lot on minimising waste here at Flora & Fauna. But what can we all Choose To Refuse this July (and beyond) to help minimise waste we produce and reduce plastic in landfill and oceans.
Our packaging is made locally out of recycled Kraft paper and we don’t use any plastic in it, even the tape we use is paper. We keep them as plain as possible so there is no nasty toxins in the printing that of them that can harm our environment.
Our partnership with TerraCycle ensures all our packaging is recyclable and stays above the ground being useful. But what else is there that we can all do to help this Plastic Free July, and hopefully beyond?
Plastic Free July are running a campaign called 'Choose What To Refuse' so if we all choose something to refuse in July it’s really helping make a change. You can join 1million people worldwide in making a stand against single use plastic. The Top 4 culprits are plastic bottles, straws, bags and coffee cups so how can we help?
Here are out thoughts on what we can #choosetorefuse this July (and longer).
1) Stop using straws. They are so harmful to our environment that we really need to stop using them. But if you do use them please use a reusable straw. Our bamboo straws even degrade when you have finished with them, although they last for a very long time.
2) Take your own bags shopping whether that be shopping bags or reusable produce bags.
3) Stay away from using products wrapped in plastic. It is difficult but if there is an alternative select it. Bulk Food stores like The Source are a great way of avoiding plastic.
4) Refuse Disposable Coffee Cups. These are so easy to avoid with all the alternatives available such as KeepCups, Cheeki cups and more. There are plenty of reusable coffee cups out there.
5) Stop buying bottled water. Not only does this harm your pocket but it really harms the environment so say no to bottled water. Reusable water bottles are easy to remember, save you money and many keep your water cool for 24 hours.
6) Avoid plastic cutlery and take your own which could be metal or bamboo and there are some really cool compostable alternatives. We've a great range of kitchen basics at Flora & Fauna.
7) Ditch the plastic toothbrush, ideally to us via our recycling programme, and pick up a far more sustainable bamboo toothbrush.
8) Think about what you wrap your food in whether that be cling wrap or plastic bags and think about alternatives. There are plenty of plant wrap alternatives, natural hemp alternatives, paper and more.
9) Many of us love a party but the environment doesn’t when balloons are involved.
10) We do love our 4 legged friends but their poop often gets wrapped in plastic bags so think about wrapping it in paper, or biodegradable bags, or try a doggy toilet (works for cats too we think).
Find out more about Plastic Free July and Shop Planet Friendly Products at Flora & Fauna.
