Within the US and all around the world, we are somewhat dependent on plastic. Among other things, this has been one of the largest problems on our way to a greener future. As we continue to look for green solutions in various different industries, companies are now investing millions of dollars into the practice. However, that doesn’t mean that you still can’t make a difference at home. With this in mind, we have compiled a list of superb DIY life hacks so you can reduce your dependency on plastic.

Make Your Toothpaste - In life, there are certain things that we need regardless of what happens and toothpaste is on this list. However, making your own toothpaste is incredibly simple; all you need is baking soda, water, peppermint essential oil, and, if you wanted, some coconut oil. Mix this together in a mason jar and this can be your first step to saving the planet.

Exfoliate with Coffee - As strange as this may sound, every single tube of face wash has the potential to contain around 300,000 microbeads*. Sadly, this causes havoc after being put down the sink. Surprisingly, you can help to save marine life by creating your own face scrub and it starts with coffee grounds. With this base, you can then mix with avocado or coconut oil.

Remove All Plastic Bags - In recent years, we have seen action to reduce plastic waste with groceries; some countries, like the United Kingdom, even charge for bags now in supermarkets. In fact, going one step further, a handful of countries such as China have banned plastic bags altogether*. Despite this, plastic can still be found with produce and other items so try and create an alternative. As well as using cloth bags, you could also use mason jars and a wine holder to prevent them clinking as you walk along.

Make Your Shampoo and Conditioner - Just as we saw with toothpaste, hair cleaning products are also easy to make and can even be better for your scalp. With these two products alone, there are some huge problems including the plastic bottles, waxes, plastic resins, silicone, and more. Instead, you should start with coconut oil before then washing it out with Castille soap. Not only will you be removing all plastic from this process, your hair will feel nourished and revitalised.

Condiment Replacement - If you were to look in your fridge and cupboards right now, there would undoubtedly be a number of plastic bottles. To prevent this, you can try making your own condiments before then keeping them in mason jars. Nowadays, you can buy all sorts of funky jars with different tops so you can still use ketchup and the like without taking off the lid. As well as being fun, you can experiment with new flavours and potentially create your own condiment.

In all, plastic can be deadly to our environment but these are some simple tips that you can use to reduce your footprint. Even if you can’t do these for some reason, use them as inspiration and assess what you can do differently at home and at work!

References

Nicole Mowbray for the Daily Mail. "The Toxic Secret Lurking in Your Body Scrub: How Your Face Wash Could Be Wrecking the Lives of Wildlife and Hurting the Environment." Daily Mail Online. Associated Newspapers, 01 Feb. 2016. Web. 25 May 2017.

"List by Country; 'bag Charges, Taxes and Bans'." Big Fat Bags. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 May 2017.