Does a life without plastic and waste seem impossible? Not with our practical everyday tips that anyone can implement.
Plastic is convenient and plastic is useful. But plastic lasts for thousands of years and is destroying our planet. We give tips on how everyone can manage to use less plastic in everyday life. The tips are interesting to follow like reading the book of dead.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
- reusable foil instead of aluminium foil
Aluminium foil is the classic packaging par excellence: it adapts well to the shape of a greased bread roll and protects it during transport. However, the production of aluminium foil is extremely energy-intensive. Salty or acidic foods can also attack the material. This means that the aluminium can transfer to the food.
- bamboo toothbrush instead of plastic brush
It is often recommended that we change our toothbrush every three months. That’s a lot of brushes that end up in the bin. A sustainable alternative to plastic brushes are toothbrushes made from the rapidly renewable raw material bamboo. As a rule, at least the handle of bamboo toothbrushes is compostable. The bristles are usually made of BPA-free nylon – once the brush has had its day, at least the handle can be disposed of in the compost.
- really good coffee instead of capsule waste
Insert the capsule, press the button and the coffee flows into the cup. Coffee capsules are popular, but they cause a lot of waste and are also expensive: a Nespresso capsule costs around 35 cents; other providers are not much cheaper. According to Nespresso, there are five to seven grams of coffee in a capsule.
This means that the customer pays around 25 to 35 euros per 500 grams of coffee or up to 70 euros per kilo. For comparison: 500 grams of roasted coffee cost an average of 4.70 euros in retail stores in 2013, while fair-trade organic coffee is available for around 20 euros per kilo.
Freshly brewed coffee still tastes best. It’s easy to do with an espresso maker, French press or hand filter and also raises awareness for better coffee.
- cup instead of tampon
Tampons end up in the bin after use, of course. If you want to remain zero waste when it comes to menstrual hygiene, a menstrual cup is a good alternative to tampons and pads. The menstrual cup – also known as a menstrual cap or menstrual cup – was actually developed at almost the same time as the tampon. However, while tampons quickly became popular thanks to major advertising campaigns, menstrual cups still haven’t managed to break out of their niche.
- cotton pads: wash them instead of throwing them away
Many women use cotton pads every day to remove their make-up. You can avoid this daily waste in the bathroom with fabric cotton pads – you can simply reuse them after washing. You can either buy fabric cotton pads or simply make them yourself: grab discarded towels or tea towels and measure the size of the pads using a glass.
Then cut circular pieces out of the fabric using your glass template. Fold the fabric in half and sew it together either by hand or with a sewing machine.
- zero-waste shampoo: hair soap
Hair soap has a big advantage over conventional shampoos: it usually comes without plastic packaging and therefore saves unnecessary plastic waste. Hair soaps are also usually much more economical than shampoos.
Of course, it depends on the individual hair type, but many users believe that hair soap conditions the hair better than shampoo – especially if you rinse your hair with an ‘acidic rinse’ of diluted apple cider vinegar or lemon juice after washing.
