Reducing plastic waste for the sake of our planet
Plastic waste and its environmental damage has been in the news for months now. Following dramatic scenes on programmes like Blue Planet II, the conversation has changed and evolved, the government is acting, and many of us are much more likely now to refuse to buy a plastic bag, bring our own reusable bags, and avoid unnecessary plastic packaging when we shop.
We pride ourselves on being an ethical brand and whilst we aren't perfect, we believe that making small changes really can add up.
At Pippettes we are always striving to reduce our ‘plastic footprint’ and use traditional glass packaging where possible, which not only helps to protect our precious ingredients and essential oils, but is fully recyclable too. We offer refunds instore on our violet glass and ground glass stopper bottles. We also offer refills in paper cartons and have taken steps to lobby our suppliers to use recyclable packaging options wherever possible.
How to reduce plastic usage at home
1. Avoid traditional cling film or food wrap by investing in some beeswax wraps, which are made from natural wax and can be reused to keep food fresh. With pretty designs made from natural cotton, no nasty chemicals will be absorbed into your food, and the wraps can be gently washed. They are biodegradable too.
2. Instead of using traditional plastic freezer bags, hold on to glass jars left over from other items and use these to freeze your food!
3. When shopping in the supermarket, try and buy unwrapped fruit and veg and choose the paper bag option for loose items. Additional and unnecessary plastic wrapping is a big problem in supermarkets. By changing our buying habits we can help to change the way products are sold!
4. If you or your family drinks milk, why not consider having it delivered to your door by the milkman? Milk floats are the original electric vehicles, so no diesel emissions. The bottles are glass and are taken away to be washed, sterilised and used again by the dairies so there’s zero plastic waste. It’s a lovely alternative to buying from the supermarket and helps to keep some of our traditions alive at the same time.
5. You might also want to switch to using a bamboo toothbrush, if you’re not using an electric one, which is a biodegradable option and far more environmentally friendly.
6. It can be tricky to avoid plastic when buying household cleaning products, but alternatives like soapnuts are totally natural, and can be bought in bulk in cotton bags too.
7. One massive change you can make is to invest in a reusable water bottle, rather than purchase plastic bottles every time. We love the Bkr bottles which are made of glass, and therefore won’t leak any chemicals into your water.