5 sustainable swaps to reduce waste

With Earth Day last Monday, this week we wanted to share some easy swaps which we can incorporate into our daily lives and have a big impact on the planet.  

An estimated 13 billion plastic bottles are used every year in the UK alone, with a large proportion of these being water bottles. Many are thrown out without being recycled and those that do will only be recycled a limited number of times. One of the first sustainable steps I took was getting a refillable water bottle. I love my bottle from Chilly's, not only does it keep water cold or hot, they are high quality and have lots of gorgeous designs meaning you will keep them for a long time. It is easy to fill it up at home before going out, and many shops, cafes and restaurants now have re-fill stations or will happily fill it up for you. 

Plastic bags are among the most common sources of marine debris, where they can be mistaken as food by birds and fish. Plastic bags don't biodegrade, meaning it will take hundreds of years for them to decompose in a landfill. Being organised and taking a reusable bag out shopping is an easy way to avoid using plastic bags. Our Corinne Taylor Tote Bags are made from natural cotton and are versatile and great for all uses. They are lightweight and fold up small making them ideal to keep in your car or handbag incase you may need it. 

Did you know that coffee cups cannot be recycled? Even paper based cups require a lining (usually a wax coating or plastic) to make them waterproof. If you are a regular with take out coffees get your self a reusable cup and take it with you. As an added bonus most cafes offer a discount when using your own cup! I love these funky cups from Ecoffee..

A great way to reduce plastics every day is by bulk buying products. This can be done either at a refill station at a local health store, which are brilliant as you can bring your own containers to fill up pantry items such as rice, oats, nuts, seeds etc. as well as toiletries and cleaning products. If you dont have a refill station near you try visiting a wholesaler and buying products in larger quantities. For example Big Green Smile sell everything from washing up liquid and cleaning products to toiletries in 5kg refill bottles and wholesalers such as Infinity Foods stock large quantities of food items. The added bonus is it often works out much cheaper, so win win!

Avoiding plastic where we can is important as it can only be recycled a limited number of times, where as glass and aluminium can be recycled infinitely. Throughout the Corinne Taylor range we have tried to keep plastic to a minimum, opting for glass instead and recyclable kraft boxes. Very soon we will also be introducing aluminium closures to replace plastic, so stay tuned for this. For toothe care I recommend Georganics, whose products are not only organic, 100% natural and effective but are also zero waste.