I have written a blog post on this before, this is not the first time. If you follow my blog or my social media you will know that I am actively making more conscious choices into our food and waste consumption. July is Plastic Free Month which is something that originally started in Australia. It eventually turned into a global movement that millions of people now partake in to reduce the amount of plastic consumption and waste the world now faces. The basic concept of it is that for an entire month you use no plastic at all. This blog post is going to be about my tips and tricks for going plastic free for the month of July.

1) One of the most important ways to reduce plastic this month that I feel is very simple is ditching the bottled water. Buy yourself a Brita filter, an insulated tumbler or a good water bottle. There really is not excuse in this day an age why anyone needs to be drinking plastic bottled water. There are so many good and easy to find alternatives. At the very least I feel as thought everyone could not drink bottled water for the month of July. This one is easy for sure.

2) Switch to non plastic forms for beauty and hygiene products. Buy a bamboo toothbrush, use shampoo and conditioner in soap form, attempt to make your own homemade toothpaste and deodorant. There are tons of different ways that you can help reduce in this department. I have recently tried the local Winnipeg brand Made of Star Stuff Body Care, her rosemary and mint shampoo bars are heavenly and work fantastic. I still have yet to find a good brand for conditioner soap bar. This one is tricky for me personally because I swim in the pool at least once to twice a week. This for sure takes a toll on my hair and the conditioner bars from Lush are not cutting it. I am not really too much of a fan. I have heard that the Unwrapped Life conditioner bars are amazing and blow the Lush ones out of the water so I definitely am thinking about making the switch. Even using bar soap in places of things like body wash and hand soap would make a huge difference if everyone did this.

3) in the kitchen there are many ways you can reduce your single use plastic consumption. We have switched over to beeswax wraps instead of Saran Wrap and plastic sandwich bags. There is a local company named Leabee Wraps and hers come in the cutest designs. I bought a pack of 3 from Black Market Provisions and absolutely love them. I also have a couple other different brands, I have the Etee ones and Beeswax Brand. I love them so much and I found it has been a really easy transition switching over. Another item that I have been using instead of sandwich bags are the silicone storage bags. I use them in place of sandwich bags or Saran Wrap. You can use them in the freezer or the fridge and they are simple to clean. I found mine on Amazon. I bought a scrubbie made entirely from recycled materials with 0 plastic. It can be used forever and never goes bad and I use it in place of a plastic sponge or plastic scrub brush. Another way to reduce plastic is to replace all your storage to glass containers. This can make it really easy to bring your containers to go with you when you do shopping at your favourite 0 waste stores.

4) For laundry detergent you can bring your own soap bottles to Generation Green where they will refill them for you. You can also make your own detergent or you can use soap nuts to wash your clothe. Using soap nuts is basically as natural as it gets and you can purchase them from Bulk Barn so it can be very easy to not waste while using them. Soap nuts is the one I will be experimenting with this month, to use all you do is put 4-6 soap nuts into a muslin bag and then throw into your laundry. You can also add essential oils and Sage Wellness makes a really amazing “laundry scent”. The nuts leave 0 scent and they totally remove stains. It’s a very ancient form of cleaning that’s been used for 1000s of years and a lot of people clean their clothing exclusively with soap nuts for that complete 0 waste. Even making your own detergent still leaves wastes so this is a nice option. They can be composted when you are finished with them. After your load is done remove them and leave them to dry. They can be reused several times until they start to become soggy and grey, then you can compost them. I have been using dryer balls from Sage Wellness with essential oils instead of dryer sheets, again the “laundry scent” and I am really enjoying them. I don’t notice a difference at all between the balls and the dryer sheets. I feel both of these are really simple switches.

5) Shopping at Bulk Barn for dry goods. This one for sure is a bit of a change from your traditional day to day life. I think why people don’t do this on a regular basis is because of the relearned behaviour. We have always lived in a plastic world (at least my generation has) so everything we have been taught now needs to be retaught. Instead of buying tons of plastic or other material wasted items in the grocery store you can go to Bulk Barn and stock up on all your essentials: pasta, rice, legumes, baking items, cereals, oats, whatever you need you can typically find at Bulk Barn. This way you can bring your own containers or shopping bags and fill your stuff own your own. No need for plastic bags or cardboard boxes with more plastic waste on the inside. St. Leon’s Garden is a wonderful place to buy produce that does not come wrapped in plastic or in a plastic container. Bring your own containers or use their compostable ones to get all your fruit and veggie needs. On top of St. Leon’s Garden which is open all year round, we are not in summer which is Farmer’s Market time. Head to any of the countless markets that offer local, and waste free produce. South Osborne Farmer’s Market and St. Norbert Farmer’s Market are a couple of my favourites.

6) Reusable grocery bags. This one I feel like most people are pretty good with already. Bring your own reusable bags to the grocery store. Bring your own containers or market bags for produce. No need for plastic bags at the store, leave the bags in your car, whatever you have to do to always have a reusable bag on hand. This one is easy, remembering can be difficult but it is a super easy switch. Black Market Provisions sells some really beautiful market and produce reusable bags. Check them out.

7) Reusable straws. This one is also very easy. I have a gorgeous copper straw that I purchased from Shakti. I carry with it me wherever I go so I always have it when I need it. Coffee shop, out for dinner, at the lake, out for drinks. There are many places you can buy reusable straws now, Shakti, Generation Green, Parlour Coffee, Amazon, Costco. You name it they likely have it.

So there you have it. Super simple and effective ways you can make a difference in reducing your plastic waste consumption. If you did even one or a couple of things on this list I feel like that is a good start and at least it is something rather than nothing. The key to going 0 waste I feel like is starting small and the good feeling you get from making those little changes. It becomes somewhat addicting, finding new ways to reduce where you can. Of course I am not perfect at all and it is hard in some ways with 2 kids especially but that is what it is even more important that I make an effort. Happy plastic free July everyone and I hope these tips have inspired someone to make even the smallest (or biggest) change! What are some ways you reduce your consumption. Comment below!