12 Simple Swaps towards Plastic Free Living

Goodbye Plastic Free July.  Hello Plastic Free Life.

In a world full of plastic, waste free or even plastic free living sounds a tad overwhelming. It really doesn’t have to be. We are by no means perfect when it comes to ‘sustainable living’ however the fact we are making more conscious decisions, thinking before we act, is and does make a significant difference. You can meet your current needs and all of life’s little luxuries without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs. Simply put, that’s what sustainable living is all about. So, let’s break it down into easy manageable swaps that you can implement now and help work towards a better future. Think of it as a swap a month to get you started. We promise what seems hard now will be routine in a short period of time. If you don’t believe that a simple swap makes a difference, let this sink in: “’It’s just one straw’ – said 8 billion people”.

1. Reusable water bottle. Probably the easiest thing you can do is to bring your own reusable water bottle. There’s heaps of options available including metal, glass and copper bottles to meet all your hydrating needs.
2. Reusable coffee cup. We are coffee snobs, and will pay far too much for the perfect cup. However disposable coffee cups are made from paper lined with plastic and most of the time cannot be recycled. With all of the stylish reusable coffee cups on offer and discounts granted by cafes for bringing your own cup, we wouldn’t drink it any other way.
3. BYO cutlery and straws. Did you know it takes 500 years for plastic straws to break down? That’s hard to fathom and can be easily avoided with paper or stainless steel!
4. Reusable food wraps. There are far more superior options available to keep your food fresh, so buy better! Simply replace your cling wrap with glass containers, bees wax wraps or organic cotton wraps.
5. Bamboo dental care. By upgrading your dental care to bamboo, you are significantly reducing your ecological footprint as bamboo is biodegradable!  
6. Reusable make up removers. Anything that is disposable, is simply put causing harm to our planet. Most wipes contain polyester, polypropylene, cotton, rayon, and various plastics and therefore are not biodegradable and not at all good for the skin. There’s a variety of fantastic cotton pads and make up eraser cloths to easily replace 100 years of plastic sitting in our landfill.
7. BYO Bags. Supermarkets, shopping, convenience store. Simply bring your own reusable bags. There’s a reason many businesses are phasing out the bags, so please do your part.
8. Better Packaging. Heaps of your usual weekly purchases such as cleaning supplies, personal care items, fruits and veggies, frozen goods, cereals, and the like can almost always be purchased in a better than plastic alternative. Do a little research before passing over your wallet and choose packaging with glass, cardboard or paper!
9. Markets and Bulk Foods. Avoid the unnecessary plastic by hitting up your local fresh market and bulk foods shop. Did you know you can bring your own containers to the shops to get your bulk foods, meats, and veggies? Just ask. We can guarantee in a few years this will be mandatory too!
10. Old school bar soap. Ecologically and financially, bar soap wins hands down.
11. Wooden Toys. I doubt we need to expand on this. Although wooden toys do look much better scattered around the house when the kids ‘forget’ to tidy up.
12. Old School Safety Razor. Over 2 BILLION razors are thrown away in our country alone each year, none of which are biodegradable, compostable or recyclable. To fix this issue, we created our own Ritology Safety Razor which is not only aesthetically pleasing for the perfect bathroom #shelfie, but made to last being 100% plastic free right down to its packaging.

Make the swap. Little actions with huge impact. We told you living better for you, your family and our future doesn’t have to be hard!