It’s crazy to think that one garbage truck load of plastic enters our oceans every minute...

It’s crazy to think that one garbage truck load of plastic enters our oceans every minute - that’s 8 million tonnes of plastic every year. Thankfully though, more and more people are now focusing on their environmental footprints and making changes to their lifestyles to reduce their dependence on single use plastics. But let's be real, it's nearly impossible to go 100% plastic free in this day and age. However, there are a number of practical small changes you can make, which can make a huge impact on the world around us. For that reason, the Pleasant State team have put together 10 do-good tips for fighting the plastics in your life.

Switch to a refillable skincare routine

Yes, it does exist! 99% of skin care products come in single use tubes and bottles that are thrown out, heading straight to landfill and our oceans every day. Now, ditching your skin care routine isn’t going to be fun for anyone but ditching disposable tubes and bottles and opting for refillable products is fun for everyone, and the earth! Peggy Sue, an Australian brand which manufacturers locally, has adopted this idea and created some “ooh ahh” products that are both good to the environment and your skin. Regardless of what you’re into, their website is a vibe and we’re sure you’ll find some plastic free goodies there.

Use a glass water bottle

Plastic bottles are the most frequently found plastics in our ocean. In a recent study conducted by ScienceMagazine, it is estimated that more than 8 million tons of plastic bottles end up in our seas every year. Can you imagine what 8 million tons of plastic looks like? That’s a lot!! Let’s do something about this. 
 
We are currently in love with Sol Cups! A Sydney based company that, like us, has made the switch to glass and silicon bottles. With an impressive range of colours and styles, be sure to check them out and join the glass bottle gang.

Find yourself an amazing eco conscious cleaning brand...oh wait ;)

Pleasant State Sample BottleAustralians throw away approximately 23 million cleaning products a year. That adds up to alot of plastic in our landfills and ocean! Decrease this number by changing to our refillable cleaner. Instead of buying a new multi-purpose cleaner each time you run out, why not find yourself a refillable, single-use plastic free cleaning product such as our Homebody multi-purpose cleaner!? Australian made, no nasties and super effective goodness.

Switch to shampoo & conditioner bars

The average person goes through 20 shampoo & conditioner bottles every single year! That's a crazy amount of unnecessary plastic ending up in our landfill and oceans. While going 'poo-free may be too extreme in your attempt for plastic free living, you can make a small change with a big impact by switching from bottled shampoo & conditioner to bars. 
 
We can't get enough of these zero waste, vegan, cruelty free made gems by Bar None. In fact our co-founder Sian swears by them (and she would know, she has crazy long hair). They're not only good for your hair, they're good for your conscience too!

Say no to plastic straws

This one might seem obvious but it’s crazy the number of people and venues that still use them. Every year, 2000 tons of plastic straws end up in our oceans each year, damaging Mother Nature (we’ve all seen the horrible turtle video :(). Especially to all the bubble tea addicts, think about all the times you threw that plastic straw away, maybe it’s time to start a long-term relationship with a reusable straw and ditch that toxic plastic straw.
 
A good alternative are the eco-friendly straws by Ever Eco. Check them out and make a small change towards a healthier earth. Let’ abolish single use straws together!

Ditch the disposable coffee/smoothie disposable cup

2.7 million disposable coffee cups are thrown out every single day. WOAH! A large percentage of these cups are unrecyclable and end up in landfill and oceans staying there for several decades and even centuries. This is a major problem considering, these little cups only stay in our hands for a few minutes. How do we solve this problem? It’s simple - Carry a reusable coffee mug everywhere you go, such as the Luxey coffee mug. Join the mug gang today and stop our fight against plastic.

Use toothpaste chews

HelloChews Eco-Dental KitAustralia goes through 30 million toothbrushes and 70 million toothpaste tubes a year, this equates to a massive 350 tonnes of plastic waste. While being toothless from not brushing your teeth isn’t the best look, you can make a small change by ditching the tubes and switching to toothpaste chews. 

We’ve recently come across another Sunshine Coast start-up HelloChews. They’re founded by a local Dentist, so you know that they work!

Switch to reusable glass containers

Next time you hit up your fave takeaway restaurant why not ask them to put it in your own fancy glass container (we’ve tried it and they’re happy to do it!). Just don’t forget a carry bag as well, we learnt that the hard way. 

Beetbox Glass Lunch BowlOur pick of the bunch is the Australian Beetbox made and manufactured in Melbourne. Buying this will give you the satisfaction of having an organised and matching storage system for your leftovers and takeaway. PLUS it doubles as a sleek lunchbox ;)

Ditch the cling wrap

A great alternative to the traditional cling wrap is seed & sprout silicone lids. These lids last with you forever and aren’t harmful to the environment.

Another option is beeswax cling wrap. You can buy it pre-made from a lot of health food stores, or you can make your own. We found this (handy DIY video here). They can be reused time and time again, and make for a really fun activity if you've got kids (also just as fun for the big kids too ;) )

Make sure your milk comes in a glass bottle
Did you know you can make plant-based milk from no nasty bases? Was your answer no? Well now you do!! ;)

A good plant-based milk is the ULUHYE mylk base. They have a wide range of nut-based milk, so you know your tastebuds will be satisfied. Just make sure you mix the base in a glass bottle, to help save your milk and environment.

No one expects you to remove ALL plastics from your life. But maybe if we all start making these small changes, we can work towards a future that DOESN’T have more plastic than fish in the sea. Be sure to sign up to Pleasant State today for more tips and tricks around living a plastic free life.

Image Source: http://www.jetdencre.ch/