Plastic Free July Tips from The Refillery

Clare from the Refillery here again.

Thank you for the fantastic reaction to our first Blog post on lovegorey. last month. It has really shown us how ready and willing the good people of Gorey are to make sustainable choices in their everyday lives.

You may or may not be aware but this month is plastic-free July. 4 weeks where people all over the world are encouraged to reduce their plastic consumption to a minimum, making conscious choices to avoid plastic.

The comment we hear the most from people is “I am sick to the back teeth of plastic”, and we believe them. We feel like this too. It seems impossible to avoid it as it permeates every facet of our lives.

Plastics have been around since the 60s (all of it still is!) and was revolutionary in its ease of manufacture. With its myriad of different uses, Its popularity has undoubtedly gone full circle now as its overuse and longevity are a serious environmental problem worldwide.

The days of simply putting it in the recycling and not thinking about it are gone as only a small percentage is recycled.

We HAVE to stop generating it.

There are a few simple everyday changes we can make to reduce the amount of plastic we use. Look at it this way, in the first 30 minutes after waking up, you potentially use 7 or more different pieces of plastic that can easily be replaced with more sustainable products.

Here are a few examples.

Plastic Toothbrush

Plastic toothpaste tube

Plastic disposable razor

Toilet roll outer packaging

Hairbrush

Bread bag

Ziplock sandwich bag

Replace them with….

Wooden compostable toothbrush.

Glass jar toothpaste/Toothpaste Tabs.

Steel Razor and Blades.

Eco boxed toilet roll.

Wooden compostable Hairbrush.

Waxed paper-wrapped bread.

Paper bag / reusable Lunch box.