Plastic-Free July: My Favourite Plastic-Free Items
Happy July! I know this isn’t my first blog post this month, but it’s definitely been a hot minute since I’ve discussed eco-friendly products here on the blog, and since it’s July, I figured there’s no time like right now. Why July? Well, I’m sure you noticed in the title of this blog post, but July is also what many in the eco-friendly community like to call “Plastic-Free July”. If you’ve never heard of this before, it’s pretty simple – you go entirely plastic-free for the month of July.
Now, I know with the pandemic, it’s been a lot harder to be eco-friendly & reduce your non-eco-friendly items, while also still staying clean & safe – even I have to admit, I’m using far more plastic than I normally would be. That being said though, it doesn’t mean that there aren’t tons of places where you can replace plastic items, so I’ve compiled a list of all of my absolute favourite plastic-free items that I highly encourage
My Favourite Plastic-Free Products
1. + 2. Pela iPhone & Android Phone Cases | 3. Seed & Sprout Organic Pocket Tote Shopping Bag | 4. Rectangular Glass Food Container with Bamboo Lid | 5. Round Glass Food Container with Bamboo Lid | 6. Seed & Sprout The Shampoo Bar | 7. Seed & Sprout Adult Bamboo Toothbrush | 8. Seed & Sprout Kids Bamboo Toothbrush | 9. Yeti 1L Bottle with Chug Cap | 10. Porter 10” Metal Straws with Cleaning Brush | 11. Stasher Clear Reusable Bag - 64oz | 12. Stasher Pink Shimer Reusable Bag - 15oz | 13. Stasher Amethyst Reusable Bag - 9.9oz | 14. Seed & Sprout Organic Mesh Produce Bags - Set of Five
Compostable Phone Cases
If you ask me, this is probably one of the easiest ways to incorporate eco-friendlier products, and plastic-free items into your life, and it’s something you use on a daily basis! Pela Case creates entirely compostable phone cases made from flax for both iPhones & a wide variety of Android phones. When you upgrade to a new phone, or you’re just ready to move on from your phone case, you can throw your current Pela Case into your composter without feeling any guilt about adding to the garbage pile. If you don’t have a composter, or your municipality doesn’t accept micro-plastics for composting, you can contact Pela Caseand they’ll do an exchange for you where they can properly compost of your case. Another fantastic thing about this company is that they are from the Great White North!
Reusable Shopping Bags
Another simple switch is buying and bringing reusable shopping bags whether you’re in the grocery store or out and about shopping, especially if you know that where you’re shopping still uses plastic shopping bags. You can get so many in a variety of sizes, colours, patterns, designs, materials & prices so there’s something out there for everyone. Just remember that whether you are using these for groceries, clothing shopping or whatever, you do still need to wash your shopping bags, so don’t forget to give them a wipe down, or throw them in your washer weekly!
Glass Food Containers With Bamboo Lids
It’s well known that bringing your lunch instead of ordering in is not only better for the environment - less plastic containers and cutlery - but also way nicer to your wallet (exemption for this pandemic – does anyone else find groceries have gotten way more expensive than before the pandemic?!) Of course, bringing your lunch in reusable plastic containers is still better than single-use plastic, but if you’re really wanting to take it to the next level, invest in some glass food containers with bamboo lids. I will say, the one downside to these is the breakable factor, and that they can be quite heavy! If you’re cool with that, then I say go for it. If you’re looking for something lighter, maybe opt for stainless-steel/metal containers instead.
Package-Free Shampoo & Conditioners
Though I must admit, I haven’t quite gotten to this point in my own eco-friendly journey, one of my favourite things I’ve seen recently is package-free shampoo & conditioners. If you’ve never seen these before, you might be wondering “how on earth do you have a package-free shampoo or conditioner?”. Well, these shampoo & conditioners come in the form of bars! Some companies offer them wrapped in recyclable packaging like paper, and some sell them with a metal container that you can reorder just the shampoo/conditioner bar to “refill”your container! Either are great options, and from what I’ve heard from people who have used these before, they work just as great as your regular shampoo & conditioner, and I’m really looking forward making the switch in the future!
Bamboo Toothbrushes
If you currently use an electric toothbrush, like myself, you’ll know it’s really hard to switch bag to a manual. Your teeth don’t feel as clean, and it just feels like a lot more work, especially if your electric brush has a two-minute timer built in. But, if you’re travelling (hahahaha – biggest joke of 2020), and you don’t bring along your electric toothbrush, I highly encourage you pick up a bamboo toothbrush to keep in your kit. When the toothbrush has reached the end of it’s life, you can toss it into a composter* & call it a day!
* Please read the package of whatever bamboo toothbrush you purchase for proper disposal information.
Reusable Water Bottles
Ahhh, yes, here it is. The most basic & well-known way to reduce your plastic intake: a reusable water bottle! Look, I get it, sometimes you just don’t have your water bottle with you or it’s room temperature now (gross), and you’re really thirsty, which causes you to break down & buy a bottle of water. I have one thing to say – I get it. So do yourself a favour, and invest in a well-insulted water bottle that will keep your water cold for longer! I understand that there’s nothing worse than leaving your water bottle in the car during a hot summer day, and you come back to a, room-temperature if you’re lucky, but probably really hot bottle of water, and that’s just gross! Get yourself a water bottle that will withstand the heat, and you’ll never find yourself breaking down to buy a single-use-plastic water bottle again.
Metal or Glass Straws
Another thing I feel like we’ve all heard about a lot in recent years is the need to cut out single-use plastic straws (and quite honestly, any plastic straws), and I couldn’t agree more! For when you’re home, pick up some metal or glass straws, if you trust yourself not to break them, and keep them on hand for when you’re looking to grab a straw to go with your iced coffee. But the real issue is mainly when you’re out and about – that’s when getting a folding metal straw will be your saviour. There’s now tons everywhere including at places like Indigo, environmentally-friendly stores and even on Amazon.
Silicone Reusable Bags
If you’ve read my blog before, you’ll definitely recognize this product. I’ve raved about these before, and I’ll continue to rave about them. The Stashersilicone reusable bags are a go-to in my house as far as eco-friendly products go. If I’ve got a chopped up onion or tomato, instead of grabbing a plastic (and single-use) bag, I always grab one of these instead to keep these veggies, or fruits in! You can also use them for other things like storing your phone in to keep water & sand out while at the beach! The only downside to these is because they are made of silicone, food that absorbs smells like breads & cheese aren’t the best to keep in these bags.
Reusable Produce Bags
Though this may be the last item on this blog today, it certainly is not the least. In fact, I’d say it’s one of my favourites. This may sound odd, but does anyone else love the look of food in reusable produce bags, or is this a unique feeling to me? I hope not. But seriously, I have a love for reusable produce bags, and why exactly, I do not know, but I’ll take it knowing I’m helping to reduce plastic & un-needed garbage on the planet. Just like purchasing reusable shopping bags, it’s a one & done kind of situation – buy them once, and then you don’t have to again! I’d also suggest washing these guys weekly alongside your reusable shopping bags too.
I apologize for the lack of photography in this blog post, but since I wrote so much because I am so passionate about eco-friendly product, I didn’t want this to feel like a never ending scroll-fest. So tell me, do you use any of these products already? Will you be making any changes to go plastic-free for July, or forever? Or, do you have any favourite plastic-free items – if you do, please leave me a comment below. See you guys again in the next blog!
* Note: Some links above are commissionable affiliate links.
