EASY WAYS TO BREAK THE PLASTIC HABIT

A vital series on how YOU can help save the planet

Take a moment to add up how much plastic you threw away when you were out at the weekend. From the ubiquitous plastic bottle of water to plastic straws (handily plasticwrapped for hygiene), plastic cutlery (also often wrapped in plastic), the ‘throwaway’ coffee cup with its plastic sipping lid and the polystyrene clamshell box designed to keep your fish and chips steaming hot, our easyaccess, on-the-go convenience culture means it’s almost impossible to avoid single-use plastic — the stuff that packs our landfill sites and litters our seas.

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when you consider just how much plastic you casually toss in the bin each day. You ask yourself, is one straw really going to make a difference? Or one coffee cup or one plastic bottle?

In Saturday’s paper, we explained the frightening effect plastic is having on our planet, and if you took our quiz, you’ll know just how much plastic you throw away each year.

Throughout this week, worldrenowned plastic-free pioneers, husband-and-wife team Chantal Plamondon and Jay Sinha, will share their ingenious ways to cut back on plastic in every area of your life.

Finding a solution doesn’t have to mean a radical lifestyle change; you don’t have to become vegan, choose only organic products or renounce all commercial packaging.

It is much simpler than that — just identify the single-use plastic items that regularly pop into your life and work out ways to reduce or eliminate them, one plastic bottle, straw or cotton bud at a time.

Sometimes these plastics are unavoidable and it is important not to feel guilty if you end up using them. But if you can make one change each day — just one — you’ll be doing your bit to help save the environment.

So, before you leave home today, have a think about where you’re going.

Whether you’re heading to the shops, going to a restaurant or planning simply to grab a coffee or a sandwich at lunchtime, think about the disposable plastic items you could come into contact with: cups, stir sticks, polystyrene boxes, cling film and straws to name a few.

Now ask yourself if there is anything you can pop in your bag to help you avoid picking up this plastic.

The following is a list of alternatives to the most common single-use plastics. Start to get in the habit of carrying them around with you — and perhaps being a little pushy in public to ensure you use them.

ALWAYS CARRY A REUSABLE CUP

LeSS than 1 per cent of the estimated 2.5 billion takeaway coffee cups used in the Uk each year are recycled. This is because the cardboard of the cups is fused with polyethylene to make them waterproof, and this plastic lining is too hard to remove.

That’s why it’s so important to

carry your own reusable coffee cup. In the UK, Starbucks sells a £1 reusable cup and, like Costa, will discount 25p off your drink every time you use one — at Pret you’ll save 50p. Caffe Nero, meanwhile, is offering two loyalty card stamps for drinks served in reusable cups (so you get a free coffee after you buy five drinks, instead of ten).

If you prefer independent coffee shops, ask if you can use your own cup. You may not get a discount, but even if you’re not saving money, you’re still saving the environment.

On trains or aeroplanes when you order a cup of tea or coffee, ask if it can be prepared in the cup you’ve brought with you, and decline the little plastic cup containing napkins, stirrers and milk pouches. If enough of us have the courage to do it, airlines and rail companies will soon get the message. ShOCKINglY, up to 38.5 million plastic bottles are used every day in the UK, so avoiding bottled water is an essential first step on your plasticfree journey.

You might think you’re doing your bit by repeatedly reusing disposable water bottles; washing them religiously, refilling them with tap water and keeping them alive until they’re cracked and falling apart. But these are not made to last and certainly not to withstand the rigours of a dishwasher, so you risk drinking toxic chemicals that leach out of the flimsy plastic casing and into your water.

Reusing them is a good instinct and will certainly cut back on the number of water bottles thrown away, but it’s far better — and healthier — to buy a stainless steel water bottle.

Alternatively, try a reusable glass bottle (fans say water tastes better from a glass container). These are light, tough, odour-resistant and can be cleaned in the dishwasher so they don’t end up as a breeding ground for bacteria. Try mybkr.co.uk for glass bottles starting at £9.

Carry your bottle with you and don’t be afraid to ask for tap water when you’re out — the more people who ask, the more acceptable the request will become.

Even better, this summer, drinking fountains are being installed at major Network Rail stations across the country and in london. Type your postcode into

findafountain.org to pinpoint your nearest one. If you have no option but to buy a plastic bottle, make sure it is recycled properly — don’t just throw it in a bin.

KEEP A ‘SPORK’ CLOSE TO HAND

DISPOSABlE cutlery is one of the most difficult items to recycle and a completely unnecessary use of plastic if you can get into the habit of carrying your own set around with you.

Why not pop a stainless steel fork or ‘spork’ (a tool with the scoop of a spoon and the prongs of a fork) in your handbag, glove compartment, backpack, lunch bag or office drawer? Try the SnapWire Foon, £7, at alpkit.com.

ORDER TAKEAWAY IN YOUR OWN TUBS

MOST takeaway meals arrive in a stack of plastic boxes. But there are things you can do to avoid this.

When placing the order, ask if you can return previously used plastic containers or if you can

use your own containers and hand them over to be filled. If this isn’t possible, make sure you wash and reuse the containers for other purposes, and recycle them responsibly when they have outlived their usefulness.

When buying lunch on the go, if something you like is wrapped in plastic, ask the shop assistant if it can be made fresh for you and put it in your own container (which, by now, you always carry around with you!). If they say no, consider picking an alternative from the menu or shelves that doesn’t come covered with plastic.

Or maybe try going to a different restaurant: High Street bakery Greggs and The West Cornwall Pasty Co both say they will happily serve food to you in your own bag or container.

The more you ask, the faster the message will get through — and more and more restaurants and takeaways will accept filling your reusable container as a perfectly normal practice.

If you do decide to do this, or if you make lunch or dinner at home to take with you in the day, consider buying one of these great, long-lasting reusable containers to keep food fresh and help save the planet.

GLASS AND STAINLESS STEEL BOXES:

Look for one that’s airtight and watertight with a silicone seal and a lid that either screws on snugly or clamps down tightly.

Kilner jars are a great example and are available in a number of shapes and sizes from lakeland.

co.uk and johnlewis.com (from around £5), or you could try a stainless steel Elephant Box, £26.50, from anything but plastic.

co.uk. There similar designs from £15 at asliceofgreen.co.uk.

INSULATED STAINLESS STEEL CONTAINERS:

Double-walled with a silicone seal for air-tightness, these keep foods and liquids surprisingly warm, or cold, for several hours. Have a look at the 32oz wide-mouth Hydro Flask, £35, from georgefisher.co.uk or the 17oz Thermos King food flask, £15.99, from johnlewis.com.

TIFFINS:

These multi-layered, stainless steel or ceramic tiffin containers have built-in carrying handles, so there’s no need to lug around a bag, too. You can find them at direct.asda.com for £6, or for £12 from amazon.co.uk.

BENTO BOXES:

Perfect for transporting sushi, tapas or fruits and vegetables in one small container without the portions mixing together, these light, useful pots have dividers to keep food separate.

The black+blum Bento Box is £17.95 from johnlewis.com.

EVEN PIZZA BOXES AREN’T INNOCENT

WHILE pizza boxes — and many other takeaway containers — are made of cardboard and other recyclable materials, when cheese or oily food scraps stick to them, they are no longer recyclable and should be put with the rubbish.

AdApted by Louise Atkinson from Life Without plastic: the practical Step-ByStep Guide to Avoiding plastic to Keep Your Family And the planet Healthy by Chantal plamondon and Jay Sinha, published by page Street at £13.99 © Chantal plamondon and Jay Sinha 2018.