Reducing Plastic Waste
Many of you will know that I’m on a mission to reduce plastic usage, plastic waste and plastic litter. Most of you will also know about my passion for food.
We have been making changes at home of regular use plastic items, and trying to stop our single-use plastic which come along with the food that we purchase, is so difficult! The retailers and manufacturers are against us, but slowly, and quietly, there is starting to be an uprising!
What changes can we make?
Reusable Straws

Stainless Steel Boxes
Water Bottles
Did you know that when you buy water in a plastic bottle, you are contributing towards the tons of plastic waste which not only heads towards landfills each year, but unfortunately often results in being sent to the other side of the world on ships. If it’s lucky, it reachhhes a legitimate recycling plant, but all too often, they are dumped in villages that don’t have facilities to deal withh it, or just into the sea and left to float around.
Despite all the publicity around the damage that plastic is causing to the environment, both from a waste perspective and from the fossil fuels required to make all the plastic, plastic water bottle consumption is still increasing, by 8% in 2018. Environmental campaigners agree that the best way to consume water is by refilling a reusable water bottle with tap water.
We have a great selection of reusable stainless steel bottles here in the shop.
Bamboo Toothbrushes
Did you know that every plastic toothbrush you have ever used, still exists somewhere. With the recommendation from dentists that a toothbrush is changed every 3 months, that’s a lot of plastic over your lifetime, it’s estimated that 3.6 billion plastic toothbrushes are used worldwide every year so it’s not hard to see why there is so muchh plastic waste in the world. Our recycling facilities just can’t keep up.
Why not swap to one of the bamboo handled toothbrushes and reduce plastic waste for good. Like any toothbrushes that you’ll be used to, there are good ones and bad ones. One of the best currently available is the Truthbrush. Designed by two ladies from the south coast of England, these have bristles made from 62% plant based castor oil and just 38% nylon. The handles are made from moso bamboo (a variety that panda’s don’t eat) and are naturally biodegradable.
Safety Razor
So they first convinced us that two blades were better than one, then that three blades were better than two. Every few years the blades increase, but then the recyclability of them decreases. It’s not just metal blades, there is plastic wound around them and they’re almost impossible to recycle. They can’t be added to your kerbside collection as they’re just not safe.
Many people are taking up a more traditional method of shaving, with the safety razor. Just like the name suggests, these are a safe way of shaving with a traditional razor blade. Don’t be nervous, they give an excellent close shave, you just don’t need to add very much pressue as the razors themselves are weighted.
This is a great switch to make and personally, I would never go back to a disposable razor again.
There has been lots on TV and in magazines about the devastation that plastic waste is having on our environment and our wildlife. And I say our, as I truly believe that it is our responsibility to clean it up and take care of it for our children and theirs. When we were at Lake Windermere the other day, somebody stopped to comment on me and my girls picking up plastic waste on the beach while we were feeding the swans, but we just do it without thinking now. Plastic kills. It shouldn’t be there. We pick it up. If everyone did, our world would be so much nicer, and safer.
Please consider reducing the amount of plastic waste you create, and if you see it on the ground, pick it up and put it in your recycling.