5 Plastic Free Tips for Out and About.
Does plastic free living really cost more? These tips will significantly reduce your reliance on single-use plastic but will they reduce your bank balance?
This is what I do to avoid single-use plastic when I am out and about with my family. For each tip I have examined whether it will actually cost more money by saying if the tip is a save, the same or a splurge!
1. Always use a refillable bottle and avoid buying bottled water. Don't leave the house without it and take more than you think you need. If we are going out in the car I often put a flask of water in the boot which means we have plenty and it stays cold.
If you do run out though, ask for more. I refill our water bottles if we go to a cafe, often there's a jug of water or I ask for a glass of tap water or I ask for my bottle to be filled. There's now a network of businesses providing refill stations.
It's so straightforward filling up a bottle with tap water before leaving the house (yes, I know one of the bottles photographed is plastic but I have used it for years meaning I am able to avoid bottled water).
This tip is a save!
2. This tip is about straws. The main thing is to avoid plastic ones but in fact just don't use any if you don't need to.
It's easy to stop buying straws for your home. It can be harder when you are out buying a drink. I've found it's best to always say "No straw please" when ordering. This isn't fail safe, even companies who say they are no longer using plastic staws have actually put one in our drink when we forgot to ask for our drink without!
My kids love straws but are very happy to use metal ones. We bought some over a year ago from Earth, Food, Love a zero-waste shop in Totnes (but they can be bought online for as little as 58p). They came with a small brush and are really easy to clean. I carry them around in my bag, wrapped in a cloth napkin and secured with an elastic band.
This tip is a save if you have been buying plastic straws or costs the same if you just choose to refuse any more plastic straws in cafes and bars.
3. Avoid disposable coffee cups. If you want a take-away use your own cup. I carry my cup around in my bag (wrapped in a cloth napkin to keep it clean) so I always have it if I need a caffeine fix!
So many places offer a discount for bringing your own cup now, making this a save.
The other alternative is to slow down and drink your coffee in a cafe or make a flask to take with you.
4. Buy fruit and vegetables without plastic. Buy them loose and just put them in your shopping basket, this works for bigger items like apples or carrots. For smaller items I have a mesh bag I made from a net curtain remnant! Alternatively if you already have a plastic produce bag just keep reusing it (that's how I started avoiding these single-use plastic bags and when it wore out I made the reusable one).
Some shops are swapping to paper produce bags which is a welcome plastic free swap but your own reusable bag is better.
Supermarkets don't make it easy to buy plastic free produce but it is still possible to buy some loose fruit and vegetables. I shop a bit in Tesco and Lidl but I tend to mostly shop in independent greengrocers.
Supermarkets often charge more for unpackaged produce which is really unfair but some greengrocers I shop in are actually the same or cheaper, making this a potential splurge but shopping around can make this a save.
Personally I don't think I am spending any more on my food shop now as I refuse so much over-packaged or non-recyclable packaging. More on how I shop here.
5. Avoid plastic cutlery. I carry around a few forks, a knife and a spoon in my bag. They take up hardly any room and I wrap them in my cloth napkin along with the metal straws. So if we ever need cutlery we don't have to rely on single-use items.
Assuming you use the cutlery you already have this tip costs the same as relying on single-use plastic.
With 3 tips to save money, 1 that costs the same and 1 that could be a splurge but if you shop around can be a save; this means that following these tips will not cost you more money in fact it could be a money-saver as well as a planet-saver.
What do you think? Were these tips helpful? Let me know in the comments.
If you enjoyed this blog post and want to shout me a coffee (in my reusable cup of course!) you can become a Rhubarb and Runner Beans Patron for as little as $1 a month (it's US dollars but you can pay in any currency using PayPal).
This video lets you snoop inside my bag to see how I fit in everything I need to refuse single-use plastic when I'm out and about:
(I mention Patreon
at the end of the video but just so you know I've made a few changes and put in new tiers meaning patrons actually get more rewards for their support!).
