Go for glass
Only around 7% of the plastic ever produced has been recycled and it takes hundreds of years to break down in landfill, so where there's a choice, choose glass over plastic.
Go big
Smaller serve items often use more packaging than when you buy items in bulk. For example, grab 2 x 3 litre bottles of milk rather than 3 x 2 litres.
Stay loose
Go for unpackaged fresh fruit and veg and take your own reusable veggie bags. A recent Choice investigation also found that you're paying a premium when you buy pre-packaged items.
Use your tap
In Perth, the stuff that comes out of your tap is good to drink! If you prefer filtered water, try a filter jug or have a water filter installed. For sparkling water, buy an at-home carbonator with reusable bottles.
Hot drinks
Avoid the plastic, single hot drink sachets which are sold inside a cardboard box, (such as coffee and hot chocolate). If you opt for a tin or jar instead – you’ll get more for your money, and you won’t have to go hunting for a pair of scissors when the ‘tear here’ doesn’t work on your hot chocolate sachet!
Buy less
Australians throw out about a quarter of the food they buy so the best thing you can do is shop with a list and buy only what you need.
Snacks
Snack foods must be one of the biggest offenders when it comes to over packaging. Avoid foods such as the large plastic bags of chips containing smaller plastic packs of chips or the boxes of muesli bars with each bar individually wrapped in plastic.
Try these instead:
-
Buy standard bags of chips instead and split them into individual portions at home in reusable containers.
-
Do the same with a bigger bag of popcorn rather than the individual packs (or better still, pop your own at home!)
-
Put together your own snack packs in reusable containers using nuts, dried fruit, crackers and cubes of cheese.
-
Make your own no-bake muesli bars.
Reuse your razor
Upgrade to a stainless-steel, reusable razor. This can make a huge dent in the amount of plastic you throw away over the course of a year.
Plastic - not so fantastic
Plastic is cheap, versatile and a part of everyday life. Unfortunately, we have developed a disposable lifestyle and it is estimated that around 50% of plastic is used once and then thrown away.
Here are a few facts:
-
An estimated 8.3 billion tons of plastic have been produced since the 1950s and only 9% has been recycled.
-
A million plastic bottles are bought around the world every minute.
-
More than 8 million tons of plastic are dumped in our oceans every year.
-
Over 90% of all seabirds have plastic pieces in their stomachs.
The good news is that if each person makes a small effort to reduce their use of plastic, it can make a huge difference.
