It's the end of Plastics Free July already?! 😮

We can't believe how quickly this month has flown by, but now it's now time to start thinking of ways we can make the rest of the year as sustainable as July has been!

That's why we have created a list of one sustainable swap which we can incorporate into our lives each month, so that we can spend the rest of this year forming 5 sustainable habits! 💚

Are you ready?! 🙌

Let's get started and make 2021 your most sustainable year yet!

P.S. Make sure to bookmark this blog post so you can come back to it each month! 📍

August

August is here already, I can't believe it!

Hopefully this August will be hot and sunny...I can smell barbaques and suntan lotion already.

Speaking of suntan lotion, did you know that regular sunscreen can be threatening to Coral Reefs and marine life?!

The chemicals which are used to protect our skin from UV light can end up in our waterways which can eventually end up in the Ocean!

These can have effects such as stopping algae from performing photosynthesis, and

damaging the DNA of Coral!

Not only are the regular formulas bad for the environment, they come packaged in plastic!

A great alternative to regular sunscreen is natural sunscreen, made of natural (not man made) ingredients which are better for the environment - and our skin!

It might take a while to get used to applying natural sunscreen, so make sure to read and follow the instructions on the packaging!

September

The end of the summer holidays has reached us, and its time for back to school!

But how come when September roles around, all of the Tupperware seems to have

disappeared or broken over the summer from picnics and beach days?!

Instead of buying a plastic tubberware, why try a Steel Lunchbox instead?

They are WAY more durable then your regular plastic Tupperware, and they can still go in the dishwasher!

Because they are made of metal, they stay odourless and stainless!

October

It definitely feels like Autumn is here now, the leaves are changing colour and falling.

It is the time of Autumnal walks and roast dinners, and the return of the hot coffee after a summer filled with iced lattes.

One of my favourite, and most impactful plastic free swaps to this day, is my reusable coffee cup.

2.5 billion coffee cups are thrown away each year in the UK alone! If you have a coffee every day on your way to work, 5 days a week, that's 260 coffee cups a year just for one person - not including mid-day caffeine fixes!

Everything we do as an individual is impactful. Make the effort to ditch single use coffee cups once and for all this month, make sure you take it with you in your bag each day and you are making such a big difference! You might even influence some of your friends, family or co-workers to do the same!

P.S. why not push yourself and stop using single use water bottles, and switch for a reusable water bottle instead!

November

It's starting to get colder, and we are spending more time at home, so it's the perfect time to create a plastic free dental regime!

Did you know that approximately 1 billion toothbrushes are thrown out each year in the

United States?!

Making the swap to a more sustainable bamboo toothbrush is a great way to reduce your plastic use, and they are only £4!

The same can be said about toothpaste tubes, with a crazy 300 million toothpaste tubes being thrown out in the UK every year.

A great alternative is toothpaste tablets, which turn into a paste when you start chewing them! They are completely plastic free too!

December

And finally, December!

Time for mulled wine, Christmas music and cuddling up by the fire! Honestly my favourite time of year.

However, Christmas can be one of the most unsustainable time of year, filled with plastic packaging and consumption of items we wouldn't normally buy.

Our favourite swap for December (we go on about it every year) is paper tape!

Did you know, that the amount of sticky tape used at Christmas could wrap around the world 499 times?!

Make sure your tape is sustainable this year, and swap to paper tape! It is just as strong as plastic tape, the proof is that we use it to send out all of our orders at Plastics Free!

Hungry for more?!

Check out our website for more sustainable swaps! 👇