Refillable bottle instead of bottled water
A single reusable bottle used daily replaces hundreds of PET bottles a year, and its impact becomes negligible over a year of use whatever…
On the go
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Reusable shopping bag instead of single-use carrier bags
Bag charges cut single-use bag sales at England’s main supermarkets by 98 percent; carrying any bag you already own beats buying a new one.
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Mesh or cloth produce bags instead of roll bags
The flimsy roll bags in the fruit aisle are being banned in Western Australia and elsewhere; a washable mesh bag or no bag at…
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Reusable cup instead of takeaway coffee cups
A reusable cup beats a paper cup on climate after about 20 to 25 uses, and paper cups are lined with plastic so they…
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Skip the lid and the sleeve
If you cannot bring a cup, refusing the plastic lid alone removes about 3 g of plastic per drink.
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No straw, or a stainless steel one
Plastic straws are banned in most rich countries, but 90 percent of paper straws tested contained per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS); steel was the…
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Carry your own cutlery for takeaway
A fork and spoon from your kitchen drawer in your bag avoids hundreds of single-use plastic pieces a year.
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Plastic-free chewing gum
Most chewing gum base is a synthetic polymer, which is why it never disappears from pavements; natural chicle gum is the alternative.
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Cans over PET when you must buy a drink
Aluminium cans are recycled at 75 percent globally and can be recycled forever; PET bottles are recycled far less and downcycled.
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Bring a container or use a return scheme for takeaway
Takeaway containers are the heaviest single-use plastic most people handle; returnable-container schemes reach payback in three to four years for venues.