BREAK THE PLASTIC HABIT!

Every day next week, one of the most vital series you’ll ever read

be harming your health. But don’t despair. Today and all next week, we will open your eyes to the tricks you can use to start slashing your plastic use right now.

Take our quiz to find out just how much plastic waste you accumulate in a year. After following our series for a week, take it again and you’ll be astounded at how the tiny tweaks we suggest really

can help solve the problem. The Mail’s Turn The Tide On Plastic campaign isn’t intended to make you feel guilty about plastic you depend on. Instead, this series will guide you through small daily steps you can take — with little expense or effort — to make dramatic inroads into reducing the amount of plastic you use.

JAy explains: ‘We have developed a cultural mindset that ranks convenient disposability above quality and durability.’ ‘It was only 50 years ago that a razor, cigarette lighter or fountain pen were robust metal objects, designed to last, which could be repaired relatively easily. But now disposable pens, lighters and razors have little meaning in our lives and are tossed in the bin when they are no longer useful.

‘We need to stop thinking of plastic as a disposable waste product, and start thinking of it as a valuable — albeit potentially toxic — resource to be carefully recycled and reused in safe nonfood, non-polluting applications.’

Chantal and Jay admit that despite their best endeavours, their lives are not zero-plastic. But they are hyper-aware of the plastic that surrounds them, and never stop looking for ways we can all decrease our plastic footprint.

They are convinced it is far better to do something, no matter how small, to reduce your plastic use, rather than nothing at all.

Even simply changing one habit — such as using the reusable coffee cup we’re giving away today, instead of a throwaway cup — will help decrease the demand for new plastics. If every Daily Mail reader uses their cup just once a day in place of a takeaway cup, millions of plastic-lined paper cups will be saved from landfill in a year.

It’s simple maths. Use a plastic bag twice and you halve your plastic footprint. Buy one bar of soap and you may spare the planet two or even three pump-action hand wash bottles. Inspire someone else and the impact is doubled.

All next week we’ll tell you how to double your recycling efficiency overnight, banish plastic from your kitchen and dodge food packaging. Better yet, you can even shop to save the planet with gorgeous — and reusable — plastic alternatives. It’s never too late to start… LIFE Without Plastic by Chantal Plamondon and Jay Sinha is published by Page Street Publishing at £13.99 © Chantal Plamondon and Jay Sinha 2018.