When you google “ways to reduce plastic footprint,” a multitude of sources appear, full of useful tips. Reading these, I realised that I had already carried out many changes: reusable bags for shopping, reusable coffee mug, solid soap for showering and buying in bulk. All these little changes have reduced our plastic footprint significantly. Yet I also realised that there were some easy ways how I could further shrink my plastic use.
Stop buying plastic bottled still water and carry a reusable water bottle
Our consumption of plastic bottles containing water had already shrunk, as we often asked for tap water in restaurants and the kids had their reusable water bottles. However, I did not have the habit of carrying a reusable water bottle with me, nor did my husband. We were thus very happy to find beautiful reusable water bottles for us among the Christmas gifts! 😊 They are shown in one of the featured photos of this blog post.
When skiing, we already practiced having the reusable bottle in our bag and did not need to buy any water. Now we will test how well we can interweave this habit into our daily routines at home. It is easier for my husband, as he has one bag that he mostly uses, whereas I change my bags more often. Whatever my outfit, I will need to remind myself to always have my water bottle—like my keys—with me before going out! 😊
Stop buying plastic bottled sparkling water and switch to SodaStream
When we first lived in Switzerland, we used to have a SodaStream carbonation machine at home. Then we almost never needed to buy sparkling water. Yet it broke a few years later, and we never replaced it. We somehow slipped back into occasionally buying sparkling water for home. It was thus time to change this, so we decided to buy this new machine to add carbon dioxide to make soda water:
Reduce plastic footprint by skipping plastic bottled soft drinks
My husband and I tried to implement this measure during our Christmas trip, and we offered our sons Lev and Max a choice between drinks in tetrapaks or in glass containers. While Max went along with enthusiasm, Lev was not so happy about it. I decided that in the future, I will choose drinks that are not packaged in plastic for myself. And I encourage my kids to do the same. Yet when they refuse, I will not push them, in order to avoid creating any further eco-aversion (discussed in my blog post on green parenting). Hopefully they will later pick up on our example.
Always buy a plastic-free version of something if available
I had started to be mindful of packaging when shopping for food, as did my husband. Now it was time to do the same with other items. For instance, I needed to change my toothbrush, so I chose this beautiful toothbrush below made from bamboo. It has recyclable bristles made of nylon derived from castor oil.
My favourite deodorant was packaged in plastic. When I needed to replace it, I looked for other options and found this solid deodorant:
I also needed a new agenda for 2020, and when I looked at the choices, this was also a criterion for me—to buy a plastic-free version if possible.
Finally, I broke our spade when replanting some bushes and had to go to buy a new one. Again, the plastic-free version was my choice. I did even better, I just found a new wood handle to replace the broken one!
My aim is thus to look for alternatives to plastic for any purchase that I need to make.
Switch to feminine products that are plastic-free
Like with tea bags, discussed in my blog post on sustainable tea and coffee habits, feminine hygiene products are not the first thing that comes to mind when one thinks of reducing plastic. Yet switching to plastic-free feminine products is a non-negligible way to reduce plastic footprint. According to Natracare, one conventional packet of period pads contains 36g of plastic. This is the equivalent of five plastic carrier bags. One plastic-free option to try out is presented in the photo below:
And another plastic-free solution:
Say no to plastic cutlery – Use reusable utensils for take-out food
I must say that Santa also had a very green mindset this year when it came to my gifts! Among others, I received beautiful natural cosmetic products, a gorgeous second-hand skirt, beautiful coffee cup with printed family photos, a massage gift card, and also reusable utensils for take-out! My husband also got such utensils, and both are pictured together on one of the featured photos.
They are small and could even be put into a very tiny purse. Moreover, they are packaged into a little box (unfortunately plastic, though). They can thus be put back into a bag even when dirty!
Rethink food storage – no plastic wrap and glass containers
Santa is not the only one spoiling me with green gifts. I got this great sustainable wrap from a good friend, and it is perfect for preserving bread or covering a cake!
For leftovers in the fridge, I mostly went back to the method my grandparents and parents used – I put a plate over the bowl of leftovers. And it does the trick well. I do not buy any plastic wrap anymore.
As for food that I buy in bulk, I often reuse the glass containers from food that I have bought previously. I also bought some more glass jars. I will not buy more plastic containers for preserving food.
Challenges
When my three musketeers are on holidays, for me it is the busiest time. 😊 They are a handful, and with almost no time for myself, it can easily become overwhelming. This vacation was no different. It was even worse in some ways, as we were travelling and went skiing, so we were away from home for two weeks. From past experience, I knew that I should not plan any new changes for these two weeks. I hoped to be able to keep up with the sustainable changes that we had already introduced. Yet many new habits were challenged while we were travelling: we bought more food packaged in plastic, and I sometimes forgot to take my coffee mug with me, or it was not washed…
But progress not perfection – while skiing, we did keep up recycling, something that we did not always do on the way. Also, when we came back, I was inspired by Meister Eckhart’s quote: “Be willing to be a beginner every single morning.”
But what about you – how do you reduce your plastic footprint? I would love to hear about your tips!
Dear Veronika, it is always a pleasure and very inspiring to read your blog:-)
One little tip from me to save energy and resources and minimize your plastic use:
Check LeBonCoin, Annibis, Marketplace and other similar websites, as well as second-hand shops in your area to buy as many items as possible second-hand and buy new products only when absolutely necessary.
I found many gifts for Christmas, birthdays as well as sports equipment and household items second-hand, in very good condition. I also encouraged other family members to do the same for Christmas and most were happy to do so. As my mother-in-law said: “It`s a great way to recycle and you save money, too”!
I am also regularly checking these websites for toys to have a small stock of potential gifts at home for the next upcoming birthday invitation for my daughters and for their own birthdays.
For clothes, there are numerous shops in Geneva where you can leave your old clothes, sometimes for free, sometimes you receive a contribution from the profit.
Best,
Sylvia
Thank you for your comment Sylvia and for sharing these great tips! I will definitely check out these second hand websites and I love the idea of getting second hand gifts for my kids’ friends birthdays. What shops in Geneva you recommend where I could leave my old clothes? I have not done that yet, but have quite a few to give away.
Thank you and happy new year! I was very aware of my waste over the holidays..the wrapping paper alone was incredible! Though I didn’t implement it this holiday season, I am committed to using cloth, or newspaper that arrives free at my doorstep each week. Usually, I recycle it, but from now on I will use it to wrap gifts. I do reuse tissue paper and gift bags, and for my dad’s bday this year, I wrapped his gift in a cloth napkin.
Thank you Tanio for your message and sharing your experience! I know, it is incredible what quantity of paper is used for wrappings! My mother-in-law helped me to fold and pile all the used Christmas wrappings of this year that I could reuse them. What clothes do you use for wrappings? I saw on internet also some gifts wrapped into newspapers and they looked great. We do not receive many newspapers, but I will try out with the few that I have.
Hello Veronika, it’s great to continue in 2020 to read about your inspiring journey. I relate to all you say and have implemented more or less the same changes as you have mentioned in your blog. However, I still have to replace my plastic jarres with glass containers. To stock rice, pasta etc. all is in glass containers, but when it comes to cooked food, I still go for the plastic ones.
I guess the overall effort that we (only my husband and I, since the girls have already moved out) are making, is to reduce our consumption in general, buy only unwrapped items or items that can be refilled, like certain beauty products. For cleaning material, it’s been already some time that I’d like to prepare soap myself but didn’t find the time jet. So this is still on my to do list.
Thank you Maya for your comment! I also use the existing plastic containers as I do not want to consume more unless I need. In case the container breaks, then I will replace it by the glass one. Do let me know about your soap experience when you will try out – I have never made soap myself, only laundry detergent.