Plastic Free July: How to reduce your plastic waste
Plastic Free July is a global movement organised to help and encourage millions of people be part of the solution to plastic pollution – creating cleaner streets, oceans, and communities that we can all benefit from. There are so many ways you can contribute to living a more plastic-free life, from buying a reusable water bottle, to using a bag for life. But it’s not just for people to make changes; as one of the UK's most loved retailers, we understand the need to step up too!
How we’re doing our bit to reduce plastic…
- We've removed or replaced PVC (a plastic that is harmful to environment, even in landfill) from transport packaging
- We've removed or replaced Polystyrene (a hard to recycle plastic) from all packaging that our customers take home
- We've removed plastic sleeves from our greetings cards
- We've replaced non-recyclable black plastic in 96% of the products that used to have it in with a recyclable alternative
- We've switched loads of our products into at least 30% recycled material
How you can reduce plastic waste around the home
There are lots of ways you can go plastic-free too. Here’s just a few of our favourites to get started:
Bin plastic in the bathroom
The bathroom is one of the worst culprits when it comes to plastic waste, so it’s a great place to start. When it’s ready for its next refresh, opt for a bamboo bathroom range over a plastic one. These are made from an eco-friendly material that’s much kinder to the environment.
And when it comes to beauty, there’s lots of easy swaps you can make in your routine that won’t cost the earth. Instead of piling up the plastic shampoo bottles, why not try shampoo bars instead? Getting ready for a night out? Keep all your makeup within easy reach in some pretty bamboo storage. There's even a range of bamboo mirrors, hairbrushes and toothbrushes, so you can really up your eco-beauty game!
Keep plastic out of the kitchen
Did you know all of our wipes are now plastic-free? Yes, every single one! So next time you’re giving the floor or surfaces a wipe, do it with plastic-free, antibacterial floor and surface wipes for an eco-cleaning win!
And back on the subject of bamboo...there doesn’t have to be a hint of plastic in sight next time you pack up a picnic, thanks to our pretty (and planet-friendly) bamboo picnicware!
Go plastic-free with your pet
It might be the last place you think to reduce plastic, but there’s plenty of swaps we can make for our pets too. Fed up of those annoying squeaky toys? Swap them for plastic-free alternatives and you’ll be saving your ears and the planet too! Lots of our new pet toys are plastic-free. They’re made from recycled, eco-friendly materials instead.
And when they’ve just got in from a muddy walk, our plastic-free pet bathing wipes are the perfect, planet-friendly way to clean them up before they dive all over your clean sofa!
Enjoy plastic-free play with the kids
The next time you’re looking for ways to keep the kids entertained over the weekend or during school holidays, why not swerve the plastic and pick up a wooden toy instead? There’s lots to choose from within this durable and eco-friendly range with everything from train sets for role play fun to puzzle clocks for hours of educational learning.
You could even store all those toys in an eco-friendly bamboo basket? Keeping the house clutter-free whilst doing your bit for the planet definitely gets you double points!
Little plastic-free wins
Looking for some quick and easy product swaps to help you reduce plastic waste? Why not try these:
- Grabbing a coffee? Bring a reusable travel mug to drink it from
- Doing the weekly shop? Remember your bags for life!
- Enjoying a drink? Don't bother with plastic straws
- Stocking up on essentials? Swap liquid soap for soap bars
We’d love to hear about the plastic-free alternatives and changes you’re taking on board this Plastic Free July. Share your ideas with us over on our social channels: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok & X.
