Cutting down on plastic use and waste

It's the in topic of the moment – plastic use and the effect it is having on the planet. Talking about it is one thing but what can we do on a daily basis?

Another brick in the wall – A lot of plastic wrapping and film isn't recyclable and therefore gets chucked in landfill. One way to stop this is to make Ecobricks. Essentially it is a plastic bottle that is then very tightly packed with other pieces of plastic. They can then be used to make other things or logged until a safe method is found to dispose of them.

Get clean – Liquid soap has been very popular in the last 20 years but with comes a lot of plastic bottles. Try swapping liquid soap for traditional soap bars that come wrapped in paper.

5 a day – Fruit and vegetables are meant to be healthy but the plastic wrapping much of it comes in isn't good at all. Many markets with greengrocery stalls still use paper bags and some supermarkets are now going back to paper. You'll also often find the cardboard boxes the produce has been delivered in available for you to use and fill up. Businesses are very grateful for other people to take away their rubbish!

A load of flannel – Wet wipes, face wipes, baby wipes, whatever you want to call them they are bad in many ways. The wipes are one use so a lot of resources are put into making something with such a short life. After being used they then get thrown into landfill or down the loo where they block up the sewers. Of course they come wrapped in plastic as well. Instead of using these wipes you could use washable cloths instead. I have been using face cloths for years and they just get washed along with the bathroom towels. I also used cotton cloths instead of baby wipes when my children were younger. Now they are used as general cleaning cloths.

Wrap it – Cling film was a brilliant invention but back in the day when we didn't worry about throwing things away. I've started going back to the old method of putting plates over bowls. I also have a selection of tins and lidded boxes for storing food in. I haven't used them but many people have now switched to Beeswax wraps or made their own.

Drink to it – Paper drinks cups have a plastic coating inside them to stop the liquid seeping through. Plenty of places take reusable cups now but to carry them around can be quite cumbersome. This means plenty are left at home rather taken out and about. Try investing in a collapsible cup which will fit easily in your bag.

Do you struggle to deal with plastic use? What have you being doing to combat plastic waste?