Tag: reusable coffee cup (page 1 of 1)

June 26, 2021 / 0 Comments

21 ways to go plastic-free in 2021

Plastic Free July is just around the corner. It is basically as it sounds – a global campaign that encourages us to reduce our plastic consumption during the month of July. It is an opportunity to reassess what we bring into our homes and who we give our money to. Consumer power, y’all! It’s a real thing!

But where to begin? Never fear, for I, Tamara, am here with a random assortment of quick and easy tricks and tips that I use in my daily life. So have a browse and pick one or two of your favourites to try on your low-waste, plastic-free journey. Remember, we need lots of people making small positive changes. Changing up just one thing in your daily life makes a difference. It’s all about progress not perfection.

Let me mention, there are no sponsors or affiliate links in my recommendations – just companies and brands that I use personally. As always, do your research and ensure the companies you give your money to are the ones that share your values and priorities, which may be different from mine.

Photo by Elli from Pexels

Sustenance

  1. Whenever you venture outside, carry a reusable bag with you. I love my bag-in-a-bags and like a girl scout, I am always prepared!
  2. Locate and use your local greengrocers. I shop at Portsmouth Fruit and Flower on Milton Market and the majority of their fresh produce is plastic-free, they also provide paper bags instead of plastic and since the pandemic, they also do home delivery!
  3. Try a fruit and veg box. My favourites are Wayside Organics and Riverford.
  4. Refill your pantry staples. We are so lucky in Portsmouth to have the Package Free Larder, Herbies and Wild Thyme Wholefoods who all offer refills on food staples like rice, pasta, cocoa, as well as beauty and cleaning products like hand sanitizer and liquid shampoo.
  5. Reuse glass containers – they are perfect for refills as I mentioned above and they definitely can have a cool Instagramy vibe, if that’s your jam.
  6. Buy multi-pack cans of fizzy pop instead of plastic bottles, ideally in cardboard packaging rather than being wrapped in plastic. Or try cordial in a glass bottle to pimp up your water, The same goes for beers and other multipack drinks – avoid the 6-pack plastic rings. The turtles will thank you. And perhaps try buying your booze from a local independent like The Beer Musketeer, the Portsmouth Distillery and the Southsea Deli.
Photo Credit: The Gender Spectrum Collection

Social

  1. Buy refiills of hand sanitizer. I get my hand santizer, which is made by The Portsmouth Distillery, at Herbies. Supporting local business and all that jazz.
  2. Get yourself reusable and washable face masks. Or if you are handy, why not make your own. I have multiple masks purchased from local black business Sistah Mandy and a few more which were a Which? Best Buy.
  3. Make your own hot beverages at home to take out, in an insulated reusable cup/ bottle. I love love LOVE my Chilly’s bottle. #notsponsored
  4. Say no to straws when ordering drinks out and carry you own reusable straws. They come in different materials like stainless steel, bamboo and silicone. And you also get a cute teeny weeny straw cleaner which is just a delight in the horror that is doing the dishes.
Photo Credit: The Gender Spectrum Collection

Lookin’ Goood

  1. Do you or someone you know have long hair? Do they use hair ties to contain their bounteous locks? Get some plastic-free hair ties made from cotton and natural rubber. It may be a small thing (literally) but worth it for the obscure green kudos points!
  2. Read the labels on your clothes and aim for sustainable, plastic free brands and second hand. Two brands I trust are Rapanui, based across the water on Isle of Wight, and People Tree.
  3. Naked toilet paper. No plastic, no packaging. For a deep dive into my toilet paper adventures, check out my post here and Emma’s post here on reuseable family cloths – a toilet paper alternative.
  4. Try low-waste bathroom products like solid soaps (my go-to is Faith in Nature naked soaps from Wild Thyme ), refill products like shower gel, shampoo etc, and deodorant creams in tins or glass jars.
Photo by Kelly Lacy from Pexels

Homey Vibes

  1. Next time you are wrapping a gift, try paper sticky tape. Plastic sticky tape, who dat?
  2. Use washable reusable cleaning cloths instead of disposable wipes.
  3. Refill cleaning products instead of buying new products. Wild Thyme, Herbies and the Package Free Larder all offer refills.
  4. Use cloth napkins instead of paper napkins. They make the dining experience super fancy!
  5. If you have a pet in your life, try sourcing pet food in cans. Tins and cans have a higher recycling value while low-grade plastic is extremely low-value and that is assuming recycling facilities for mixed plastics even exist in your local area.
Photo by Artem Podrez from Pexels

Consumer Tips $$

  1. Repair items whenever possible. Don’t know how? Vist to Pompey’s Repair Cafe which has recently reopened after a year and more of covid-19 lock downs.
  2. Limit online purchases wherever possible and try to support sustainable, local online brands. Request no plastic packaging for online orders and actively support local traders like Pigeon Books and online shops like Plastic Freedom that aim for low-waste packaging.

Let me know in the Comments section below what you’ll be doing this Plastic Free July. Be it small or be it big, it be something…

Written by Tamara, a Green Hairy Feminist
January 19, 2018 / 4 Comments

18 Green Resolutions for 2018

Every January, social media feeds are full of people pledging to run more often, learn a new language, or how to sculpt their eyebrows perfectly. I (Emma) can help you with none of those resolutions but if you want to learn how to be more green in 2018, then I have a few ideas of where to start.

Beauty

1. Bypass toiletries with microbeads: The UK Government has recently banned the use of microbeads (tiny plastics) in cosmetics/toiletries because they’re a big contributor to plastic pollution in our oceans. However, the ones that were already produced are still on the market. Don’t buy them! Need a good scrub? Look for products with salt or sand instead.

2. Save your bathwater: If you have a bathtub- even if you use the shower all the time- try leaving the bath plug in and save the water. You can use it to water the plants, clean your sports equipment, or even flush your toilet.

3. Turn off the tap: You’ve heard it before, but don’t leave the tap running while brushing your teeth, shaving your face, or removing your makeup.

FOOD AND DRINK

4. Meat-Free Mondays: If you’re not already vegetarian/vegan, consider cutting out the meat for just one day a week. Not only is it kinder to the animals but it’s also better for the environment because producing meat uses more energy and creates more greenhouse gases than a plant-based life.

5. Avoid clingfilm: Instead of keeping your food fresh with clingfilm, use reusable sandwich boxes or even put one plate on top of another.

6. Refuse straws: Many people don’t use straws at home but it’s a little hard to escape them when you’re out and about. Ask your server not to use a straw when you order a drink- you could even put a note in your purse to remind you.

7. Make it reusable: Not all plastics are created equally. A reusable bottle to fill up with tap water is going to be 100% better than disposable bottles. The same is true of reusable coffee cups because takeaway cups are hard to recycle and most end up in landfill.

Shopping

8. Refuse plastic bags: I know, I know. They already have the 5p charge on plastic bags so you’ve definitely got your reusable one on you at all times. The thing is that the plastic bag charge doesn’t go far enough. Smaller shops and takeaways are exempt from the charge, which means that the cashiers there often bag your purchases without asking. Produce your reusable bag before they start packing and let them know that you have it.

9. Cut down on packaging: When you’re shopping, look around for items with less packaging or packaging that is easily recyclable like buying loose fruit or snacks sold in cardboard boxes rather than plastic/foil wrappers.

House and Home

10. Print double sided: Many printers are still not set up to print double-sided automatically but very few documents will need to be printed on just one side.

11. Switch energy suppliers: If you want your energy supplier to use renewable energy and oppose fracking, then make the change to Ecotricity or Good Energy. Bonus: You can even get them to donate to the Green Party on your behalf at no added expense.

12. Use less energy: Whether its remembering to turn off lights when you leave a room, drying clothes on the line rather than in the dryer, or putting on a jumper rather than turning on the heating, everyone can do something to cut down on their energy usage. Find out what your energy Achilles’ heel is.

13. Go paperless: Sign up for online banking and get your statements delivered via the internet (remember to check them) and use your mobile devices to store your tickets (you can’t lose them if they’re in your email account).

14. Recycle more: There’s no doubt that Tamara and I love recycling and that we dream of living a zero waste lifestyle, which is why we’ll continue to show you how to recycle more on both the PGP blog and Instagram. If there’s anything that you don’t know how to recycle, ask us and we’ll let you know.

15. Use your dishwasher: If you have an energy-efficient dishwasher, then running a full load is actually less wasteful than washing by hand in terms of both water usage and heating.

Community

16. Cut down on car usage: A lot of public transport is overpriced (#RenationaliseTheRailways), but getting the train or the bus may actually work out cheaper than the parking prices in some parts and it’s much kinder to the planet. Try buying season/annual passes if travelling for work (ask your company if they offer loans to cover the initial cost) or buying in advance, using discount sites for one-off trips, and walking/cycling wherever possible.

17. Do a beach clean: When rubbish gets into the ocean, it gets into the sea life and into the human food chain. If you live near a beach, volunteer a few hours a month to help remove trash from the area. Pro tip: Take separate rubbish and recycling bags.

18. Join the Green Party: One thing that we can all agree on is that while individual green acts are important, the real change needs to come from government. By joining the Green Party, you can help fund the election campaigns for the next round of Green councillors and MPs to pressure the government into making Green choices that will make your eco-friendly life a little easier.

Now I want to hear from you. Are you going to adopt any of these resolutions? Do you have more to add? Let me know in the comments.

October 13, 2017 / 7 Comments

What’s in Tamara’s Magic Green Backpack?

This is a short one from me (Tamara) this week. With the autumn drawing in and my depression coming out to play, I’m focusing on the small wins. So let’s play, what’s in my backpack?

Inspired by my zero-waste experiment earlier this year, I made myself a zero-waste pack that lives in my backpack. The aim is to actively reduce my use of single-use plastic and as I mentioned in a previous post, it started with a straw!

 

 

 

Reusable Bamboo Straw

Luckily the lovely people in my life are used to my green ways and do not bat an eyelid when I decline a straw and triumphantly pull out my huge bamboo straw from my backpack. I am slowly getting used to the texture of it and have found that chocolate milkshakes are the way to go!

 

Bag in a Bag

I first discovered these on a visit to my in-laws in Holland for 1 euro! Needless to say, I bought way more than I could use in a lifetime and felt very smug when they started making an appearance in the UK following the 5p charge on plastic bags. I keep one in my backpack, my car, and my husband’s motorbike and I heart them! Zero waste win!

 

Spork

This had been languishing in the back of my kitchen drawer for millennia and has found a new lease of life simply by being rehomed to my backpack. Is it a fork? Is it a spoon? No, it a super spork! I also had a disposable plastic knife but they kept breaking as they are so flimsy and also didn’t fit my lovely little dedicated purse – so when I saw a plastic take-apart-able knife, fork and spoon set in the sales I added the knife my pack. The fork and spoon live in my car and are great for unplanned chip shop visits!

 

Reusable Water Bottle

Finding this bottle was a labour of love and I will tell you all about it in a future post. But its key points are it’s a stainless steel, BPA-free bottle that keeps my water chilled to perfection without condensation! I never leave home without it!

 

Collapsible Coffee Cup

This is my pièce de résistance! A reusable, collapsible silicone coffee cup, I use it whenever I am tempted by the free coffee at Waitrose. This together with the fact that Costa Coffee offer in-store recycling of ANY brand of paper cup means that my coffee cup waste is practically zero! Huzzah!

 

Hankybook

This is probably the most controversial item in my backpack! Those lovely people I mentioned earlier who are so accepting of my plastic straw war baulk at my hankybook. Beats me why! It is a reusable and washable cotton cloth ‘book’ that I use instead of… ok, honestly – as well as- disposable paper tissues. It has a protective cover but to be doubly sure I store it in a cute little pineapple purse a friend gave me for my birthday.

 

Disclaimer: The links to the particular items that live in my backpack are not sponsored or affiliated or anything like that – just my personal choices purchased either after lots of research or after no research whatsoever! They all have their pros and cons and some are quite pricey, so please do your research! Or don’t – it’s up to you! 🙂

Promoted by T Sheerman-Chase, 99 Pretoria Road, PO4 9BD on behalf of Portsmouth Green Party. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any other party, agency, organization, employer or company.

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