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Curbing the use of plastic: What I’m doing to help in my home

It’s Clean-Up and Recycle SA Week from 16 to 21 September, and to help create awareness and encourage you to participate too I thought I would share a couple of changes I’ve made in our home to help curb our use of plastics and help to save our precious planet Earth.

We have cut down on our use of single use plastics, and done our best to eliminate as many as we can. It starts with saying no to plastic straws. If you’re out make sure that you only use paper straws or biodegradable straws. It’s even better to carry your own silicone or stainless steel straw. Don’t buy water in a bottle, carry your own in a water bottle, preferably a stainless steel one. Remember to take your own reusable shopping bags when you go out too, this will mean you won’t have to buy plastic shopping bags. At home practise recycling and don’t forget to be aware of your plastic consumption.

Recycling Day is on 20 September so there’s no better time to think about what changes you can make in your own life to help. International Coastal Clean-Up Day is on 21 September, and South Africa will again be participating in the Let’s Do It! World Clean-Up. Last year 17 million volunteers from 157 countries and territories joined in the clean-ups that took place around the globe on the same day in what would become the biggest global clean-up the world has ever seen. It starts in New Zealand when the sun rises and moves around the globe with the time zones until it sets, ending in Hawaii 36 hours later.

If you’d like to be involved with the local clean-ups visit the Clean-Up and Recycle website to find an event near you.  But please remember that every bit counts so even if your family just wants to visit the beach on Saturday and help to clean-up that’s great too!

I hope you feel inspired that you too can make these small changes. By each making small changes in our lives not only will we all help to save the future generation, our children, from the plastic endemic that is threatening our future in this world, but we will also teach our children the importance of reducing, reusing and recycling so that they can carry those changes in their lives and pass that knowledge onto their children one day too.

I’m so happy that I’ve become more aware of our plastic consumption. I also really love that my children continue to motivate me based on their school teaching them about recycling too. Not only have I become more aware of the packaging itself, but also on what happens when the products go down our drains and end up in the oceans. It’s also become important for me to know what products I’m using on my own skin and my children’s skin.

Here’s a few of our favourite products at the moment. The things I look for these days when I purchase products for my home include are the products packaging recyclable, are the products safe for the environment and safe for my children with naturally derived ingredients.

‘Because each one of us is part of the problem, it also means that each one of us can be part of the solution.’ Lyndsey Dodds, Head of Marine Policy, WWF.

From left to right: Klean Kanteen Stainless Steel Straws, Childs Farm strawberry & organic mint shampoo, MyBagUse Bag, Pura Stainless Steel Sport Junior Bottle, Woobamboo! Kid’s Sprout Bamboo Touthbrush, Rock the Locks don’t messy with me texture paste, Pure Beginnings Organic Kids Vanilla Mint Toothpaste.

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