Living plastic-free: what's behind it?
Awareness that Plastic harms our planet and therefore harms ourselves, sets in more and more. Nevertheless, as a society we are far from living free of plastic.
You ask yourself: What exactly are the disadvantages of plastic? The page "sustainable-ein.info “ has compiled figures from various studies.
- Approximately 5% of the available oil you need to make plastic
- From 200 million tons Produced plastic (plastic) ends up 3 – 13% in the sea
- Approximately 100,000 marine animals and 1 million birds die from plastic a year
- Contain plastics toxic chemicals such as added plasticizers or flame retardants. These cause health problems – from allergies to cancer!
Living plastic-free: 7 tips to start!
- Transport of food: The plastic bag is still a popular companion when shopping. Do it better: whether basket, bag or backpack. There are enough alternatives to transport food. Paper bags are better than plastic, but only if you use them multiple times.
- Reusable: Especially with milk and drinks you should use reusable or glass containers when shopping in the future.
- Avoid ready meals: Ready meals are not only unhealthy due to the additives, they also produce plenty of plastic. Try to eat consciously and use fresh food. There are also the first supermarkets to offer food without packaging. Strong!
- Lunch boxes: There are now boxes made of stainless steel, wood or glass. Completely without plastic!
- Drink tap water: Plastic bottles are unnecessary in Germany, where drinking water is mostly of very good quality. With a water bottle that can be refilled several times, you save a lot of garbage and always have water with you.
- Do it Yourself: You will also find numerous DIY items from us. From making your own shampoo to building your own shoe cabinet. This gives you control over what ingredients are used and saves harmful packaging.
- Controlled consumption: Doing it yourself is part of it, in addition to sharing or borrowing things, recycling / upcycling and repairing things instead of constantly buying new ones. Because your main motto from now on is: Avoid waste!
Living plastic-free: 5 tips for hygiene and personal hygiene
- No soap dispenser: If there is a soap dispenser, fill it up again when it is empty. There are also supply packs to buy. That at least reduces the plastic a little. Ideally, however, you should use soap at a time.
- Cotton pads: With cotton pads, it makes sense to use reusable eco pads. Otherwise, there is an infinite amount of garbage, especially when removing makeup.
- Handkerchiefs: Still normal with your grandparents, slowly coming back today: handkerchiefs made of fabric! This will save you both money and you can do without the packaging.
- Deodorant without plastic: Deodorant is also one of the items that we use and buy constantly. There is hardly any deodorant to buy unpackaged. Occasionally you will find a deodorant without plastic. Best solution: make deodorant yourself.
- Wooden hairbrush: Hairbrushes on the market are still 99 percent plastic. However, there is another way. With a wooden hairbrush you can do without plastic and make your hair a pleasure too.
Living plastic-free: 5 tips for a plastic-free kitchen
- Wood instead of plastic: Whether wooden spoons, mixers or spatulas – if you have not already done so, replace your plastic kitchen utensils with wooden ones. Bamboo wood is particularly suitable. This even gives you the advantage of avoiding pollutants that are caused by burnt-on plastic.
- No kitchen paper: Kitchen paper is also not sold unpacked and has to be bought constantly. With cloths, e.g. B. made of cotton, you get at least as good results and can wash them if necessary.
- Detergent: Detergent is also one of the things you can easily do yourself. You can learn to make cleaning agents yourself in eight simple steps.
- Washing accessories: No matter whether dishwashing brushes or dishcloths – there is a lot of plastic. Wood is a good alternative again. There are also dishcloths in cotton without plastic.
- Growing herbs: Instead of always buying new herbs, you can simply grow them yourself. You don't need a large herb garden for this, a balcony is enough.
We did the self-test a long time ago. A week without plastic: is that even possible?
Living plastic-free: Book tips on the topic:
- Christoph Schulz: "Plastic-free for beginners"(mvg, 14.99 euros)
- Charlotte Schüler: "Simply live plastic-free"(Southwest, 18 euros)
- Martin Dorey: "Enough. With. Plastic .: 30 two-minute solutions"(Heyne, 9.99 euros)