10 Tips For Plastic Free Living

It may be cheap and convenient, but it’s having some tragic consequences. Plastic is polluting the land and air, devastating the oceans and our marine life, and even invading our bodies.

Given the massive amount of single-use plastic we use now, it’s hard to imagine a time before it existed –  but guess what? Not so long ago, it didn’t. People made do just fine without it and we can too.

The Source tips to reduce single-use plastic:

• BRING YOUR OWN BAG:  Australian’s use more than 10 million plastic shopping bags a day. Yes that’s right – 10 MILLION A DAY. Get yourself a couple of good cloth bags and leave them in the car or your bag so you’ll always have them on hand.
• DON’T BUY BOTTLED WATER: You don’t need it. A good quality reusable bottle that you can fill with tap water or filtered water is much kinder to the environment and your wallet. Check out our awesome stainless steel water bottles.
• USE REUSABLE PRODUCE BAGS:  Avoid fruit and vegetables wrapped in plastic and take your own reusable produce bags. A single plastic produce bag can take more than 1000 years to degrade.
• TAKE A KEEP CUP: Take away coffee cups are lined with plastic and often can’t be recycled. Take your own coffee cup or have a sit-down coffee using the cafe’s mugs.

• PACK A PLASTIC FREE LUNCHBOX: It’s estimated the average Australian school lunchbox generates 30 kilos of rubbish a year – much of it plastic. A good sturdy lunchbox with separate compartments, like the Planetbox, sold in our stores, allows you to pack food straight into separate compartments, eliminating the need for plastic wrap. Another tip is to avoid plastic-wrapped processed snack foods like biscuits and muesli bars and make a big batch at home instead. It’s cheaper and healthier.
• GET RID OF PLASTIC FOOD WRAP: A good set of glass or stainless steel containers will pretty much eliminate any need for plastic food wrap. Reusable beeswax wraps are another great alternative to plastic.
• REUSE AND REFILL: Instead of buying a whole new container of shampoo, body wash, or kitchen spray, take your old plastic bottle for a refill. At The Source Bulk Foods, we offer refills on all of these products.
• SAY NO TO STRAWS: They’re totally unnecessary. If you really want one, buy a reusable straw. Plastic cutlery is another single-use plastic item you can avoid. Keep some reusable cutlery in your bag or glovebox.
• SHOP AT THE SOURCE: So much of our household waste is generated from food packaging. At The Source Bulk Foods, we’ve created a zero-waste shopping process. When you shop with us, you can bring your own jars or containers, purchase one of ours, or use our paper bags, which you can re-use next time you visit. We make it easy to refuse single use plastic because we simply don’t offer it.