It's Plastic Free July! Simple Swaps to Save 400kg of Plastic Waste

It's Plastic Free July! Simple Swaps to Save 400kg of Plastic Waste

Ah, the P word…it’s unavoidable nowadays, especially as it hangs around in our oceans and landfill sites, refusing to biodegrade. Just the other day, as we took a walk through a local park, we noticed a Coot sitting proudly on her nest in the lake - a nest that contained not just sticks and twigs, but crisp packets too. It’s reported if we don’t do something now, by 2050 there could be more plastic, by weight, than fish in the sea. (ref)

What is Plastic Free July?

Plastic Free July is a global movement that was developed over 10 years ago, with the aim for people to reduce their dependence on plastic, and in 2021 an estimated 140 million people in 190 countries took part to reduce their plastic usage. This means that globally, those who took part “reduced 2.1 billion tonnes of waste and recycling including 300 million kgs of plastic consumption” (ref)

Why is it important to be plastic free?

If you’re looking at Pit Putty as your deodorant alternative, you probably already know that our natural deodorants and soap bars are completely plastic free, as is our all of packaging. As all of our products are handmade in Nottingham, we can oversee, manage and reduce our plastic waste much better than companies who outsource the manufacturing of their products.

We’ve done a bit of research of our own, and after whipping out the calculator we’ve summed that by switching to our natural deodorant, you can save on average 480 plastic deodorant bottles from going to waste over a lifetime, which is enough to fill a bathtub!

What can I do to be plastic free?

Throughout Plastic Free July, to help you make the switch of a lifetime, we’re offering a whopping 50% off your first subscription order, with an ongoing 10% off all additional orders.

With a Pit Putty Subscription, you’ll receive your new favourite natural deodorants and soaps directly through your letterbox on a schedule that suits you - you can determine how frequently you want your orders delivered, and you can cancel at any time.

Switching to a plastic free natural deodorant is one small swap we’d obviously encourage, but you might also be asking yourself…does going plastic free make a difference?

Well, see for yourself! Here’s 3 other simple ways you can save a whole load of plastic from going to waste…

Choose Loose Fruit & Veg to Save 340kg of Plastic Waste!

Ah, the fruit and veg aisle in a supermarket - a plastic paradise, as major supermarkets contribute around 1.2 billion plastic bags for fruits and vegetables. Households in the UK have been found to use over 500,000 tons of plastic food packaging in just one year, which works out as roughly 340kg of plastic packaging per person in their lifetime (ref)

We understand that some plastic on certain products is actually necessary, such as the cling wrap on cucumbers that extends their shelf life to 14 days, rather than just 3 days.

But when bananas, oranges, potatoes (all products with their own “packaging”) are wrapped pointlessly in plastic, it can be frustrating. We feel like this is an obvious one, but think of all the plastic waste you could reduce by reaching for the loose broccoli!

Local greengrocers and smaller supermarkets favour loose fruit and veg over prepackaged ones, and they’re usually sourced locally, so it’s always worth a wander there to see what you can pick up!

And, yes another obvious tip, don’t forget your reusable bags! It’s a bit awkward just having handfuls of green beans at the checkout, so keep everything bunched together with reusable veg bags.

Plan ahead when traveling to save 4.5kg!

When travelling, it’s so easy to just forget all the day to day ways you’ve been reusing plastic at home - but a vacation from work isn’t a vacation from being the eco warrior you’ve become!

Before a holiday, you might pop into your local shops and pick up plastic travel sized versions of your favourite products, but did you know that of the 15.5 million brits who purchased these mini’s, 980 tonnes of plastic waste ended up in landfill, which equates to 4.5kg over a lifetime per person on something that really, is not an essential at all! (ref)

So instead of reaching for these minis, why not try solid soaps, shampoos and conditioners? They don’t count towards liquid weight, and are almost always packaged in recyclable cardboard or paper - no plastic waste here!

And to avoid having to purchase any minis before your trip or at the airport, grab a simple cloth bag to store all those essentials you’re most likely to forget, and just to reassure you - Pit Putty Mini Sticks and Tins are 100% recyclable once you’re finished!

Switch to Soap to save 32.64kg!

A massive 1.4 billion body wash bottles are thrown away every year, and with the average person using 480 bottles over their lifetime, you can easily save 32.64kg of plastic entering our oceans by simply switching to soap bars instead! (ref)

We have a fantastic selection of Soapy Suds available, all 100% natural and packaged in recyclable paper. From Tea Tree Charcoal face scrub to a luscious Lavender soap, it’s probably the most simple switch to make!

So what’s next?

We would just like to add that we recognise that living an eco lifestyle is a privilege, not everyone has the budget, and not everyone is physically or mentally able to make the changes we’ve suggested. We recommend simply focusing on the things you can change, rather than those you can’t, and know that even the smallest swap can and will make a difference.

Our subscription service allows you to make this simple swap during Plastic Free July last all year round, and with 50% off your first subscription, and the ability to cancel at any time, what have you got to lose?

Take a look here and start your subscription today, and receive a massive 50% off your first order, with 10% off all ongoing orders.

 

Some great Plastic Free July resources
https://www.unep.org/interactives/beat-plastic-pollution
https://aplasticplanet.com
https://www.plasticfreejuly.org