Like many of us, you know you want to help save the planet and live a plastic-free life, but often it’s hard to know where to start. Here are 4 little things you can do to help the environment and live a more sustainable life. This list is not meant to overwhelm you, just give you a few ideas of what’s possible.

Give up bottled water, fizzy drinks & plastic takeaway cups

You wouldn’t believe the damage a single water bottle could do to the planet, from the harmful resources needed to extract, bottle and ship it, to the overflowing landfill sites where it will inevitably end up and the many marine and wild life who become trapped or swallow the plastic caps.

Giving up your plastic water bottle is an easy switch that will make a big difference to your carbon footprint. Instead, opt for a stainless-steel reusable bottle and refill throughout the day. The same goes for hot drinks too.

Stop using plastic carriers & bring reusable bags with you

It’s crazy how many plastic bags we go through without even realising, and we tend to just use them once and get new ones again next time we shop. A really easy way to help the environment, is to carry reusable bags with you instead, such as a canvas tote bag.

Alternatively, you could just remember to wear a rucksack or messenger bag on a day you know you’ll be at the shops, so you have room to put your purchases in there and save on additional bags. Whatever works for you.

Buy your fruit & veg at the farmers market instead 

When possible, visit your local farmers market and buy your fruit and vegetables there instead of the big supermarkets. It’s often a great way to buy fresh, local produce without plastic, as long as you remember your own bags or cardboard box.

Normally the produce won’t even have those little plastic stickers on. But any smaller fruits like berries, might still come in plastic containers, so just transfer them into your own reusable containers (can buy stainless steel) and hand back the plastic one to be reused.

Carry your own reusable utensils & drinking straw

For the moments when you buy a takeaway meal or drink and it arrives with a plastic knife and fork and plastic straw (usually also in a plastic wrapper too), hand back to the server and use your own instead.

The easiest option is to just carry a set of stainless-steel utensils from home, but you can also buy reusable bamboo products if you wanted to. When it comes to straws, a few good options include bamboo, stainless-steel or glass.

Of course, there are loads more things we could all be doing to live a plastic-free lifestyle. But once you start making small steps in the right direction, you’ll find it so much easier to cut down on plastic altogether and notice more ways you can too.

Ethical practices and sustainability have always been at the core of our brand and something deeply important to Verity (founder and designer). Read more about what we’re doing to help the planet over on our ethics page.