Get your brain cells and creativity buzzing for Plastic Free July. This global campaign, started in Australia in 2011, encourages us to reduce our dependence on single-use and other disposable plastics.
We have known for decades that plastics are hazardous in the environment and potentially to our own health, as we unknowingly digest and inhale nano or microplastics.
On a small island like ours, options are often limited. For example, bulk buying dry food in our humid tropical environment poses challenges to keep stock fresh and bug free. So many products in a supermarket are made of plastic or packaged in plastic-even fruit and veges are wrapped in plastic sometimes!
When we do have choices, they often seem inconvenient. Take reusable nappies: they're readily available but require the parent to clean, sanitize, wash, dry, and fold – just like our grandparents did. It's much easier to grab a disposable nappy-on baby, off baby, roll it up, toss it. Or for easy entertainment, a cheap plastic toy is bought, breaks, and into the bin it goes. Out of sight, out of mind, but never out of the environment.
Plastic is an ever-pervasive presence in the islands. But we need to start somewhere. Every bit of plastic not used or bought is one bit not added to the landfill.
Some ideas have been around for ages: use cloth bags or boxes when shopping, carry a reusable bottle or if water isn’t your thing, choose aluminium cans or glass – our waste management can recycle these.
Whenever possible choose products not wrapped in plastic, especially layers of plastic. Invest in reusable containers for storage or lunch boxes. Bring your own cup in for your coffee fix, or take your own crockery and cutlery when you get takeaways.
It’s good to see stores offering cardboard boxes for packing and shops charging for plastic bags and containers. This, hopefully, encourages people to bring their own. Imagine takeaways served in metal containers and packed into a cloth bag – it saves plastic use, is easy to transport, is leak-proof, keeps food hot, and is simple to clean for next time!
Buy in bulk when possible. If the initial cost is too high, team up with friends or family to buy items like cleaning supplies together. Maybe create a little co-op at your church, school, gym etc that buys and shares bulk supplies regularly. Make your own cleaning products; there are many easy to make recipes online. We find water, white vinegar and baking soda to be an effective all-purpose cleaner.
When plastic is unavoidable, think about repurposing it. For years, we've used scoops made from cut-down Janola bottles in the garden or as poop scoops. Large cleaning product containers are a particularly strong plastic that can be cut and used to create a standing dustpan. Smaller plastic bottles can even be transformed into fruit fly traps to hang in trees (check YouTube for tutorials). For spray bottles that stop spraying, try removing the straw and hold it upside down to spray. It will often work just fine and then you can refill with your homemade product.
The Plastic Free July website offers many practical ideas to reduce your plastic dependence (www.plasticfreejuly.org/get-involved/what-you-can-do/category/next-steps/). This July, be proactive, intentional, creative and innovative. Do you think you have a unique idea? Share it with us.