And just as the afternoon storms grow stronger, we are already in August! Since July has come and gone, I've decided to do a recap on how my Plastic Free July went. I successfully got to check off 16 of the 18 items on the action picker list for Plastic Free July (see the list here!), as well as a few other ways to contribute to #PlasticFreeJuly.
One of the biggest things we did as a household this month was beginning to save pasta sauce jars, chili jars, and other glass jars of the like. This was a great way to replace plastic water bottles, disposable coffee cups, and other plastic storage containers. Beats having to purchase mason jars too!
The first thing I personally worked towards this month was changing my grocery store routine. I usually come prepped with my reusable bags but this month was destined for more plastic free greatness. I began by grabbing plastic shopping bags that were already around the house and reused those for my produce bags, instead of grabbing new plastic produce bags or purchasing pre-packed fruits and vegetables.
My shopping trips also included stopping at the deli counter to buy meats wrapped in paper versus the styrofoam and plastic mess in the pre-packaged meats section. This solution actually ended up being cheaper for me too!
Living in a house full of coffee drinkers, it goes without saying that we drink a LOT of coffee. When going through that much coffee, not only was saving our coffee cans and refilling them at the bulk coffee station in our market the greener option to go, it was cheaper, and left our kitchen tidier too (having a stack of six different plastic coffee bags on our counter? Yep, don't miss it).
The bulk isle in our market ended up becoming my best friend. Whether I needed trail mix, coffee, chia seeds, you name it, I was able to bring in my own containers to fill. One of my favorite containers I've been using are the large reusable Kikkerland plastic zipper bags. I found mine at a local bookstore, but they are $4 online. They are super sturdy, can stand up, are dishwasher safe, and leak proof. This product is a total score! Not mention how adorable the mason jar look is.
The next coolest thing I own is also in the photo above. Just over a year ago I discovered Bees Wrap and that's honestly where my plastic free journey began. Bees Wrap is cotton cloth covered in bees wax which serves as the ultimate saran wrap replacement. It works by using heat from your hands to stick the cloth to itself, becoming the most convenient sustainable solution in my kitchen. If Gunni folk are reading this, head on over to the Corner Cupboard to pick one up (that's where I found mine!) or use Bees Wrap's stockist locator to find where to purchase one near you.
Some other action items I got to check off my list were recycling at home, avoiding micro beads in beauty products, shopping at farmer's markets, investing in a reusable metal straw, supporting local vendors and sustainable companies (read all about that here), avoiding bottled soft drinks, as well as picking up other peoples ciggie butts, trash, and other litter as I am out and about in my day to day life.
These were just SOME of the changes I made in my lifestyle this month, and I still have a LONG ways to go. But hey, we are all starting somewhere, right? (: We'd love to hear how your Plastic Free July journey went so shoot us an email or tag/DM us on instagram @gunnigirlsgogreen!
XX Erin
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