small Advice for plastic free living

There are lots of ways to reduce single-use from your daily routine. Fitting in reusable and plastic-free alternatives can affect the way companys operate when followed by enough people.

Water bottles - humans need to drink 7-10 glasses of water each day. Therefore finding a reusable bottle that travels with you is a must. It may be worth considering that processing aluminium used in some water bottles means that they must be used hundreds of times before becoming environmentally beneficial.
Coffee cups - humans don't need 7-10 glasses of coffee a day but many of us drink nearly this much. Asking coffee houses to fill reusable cups or flasks reduces single-use takeaway cups and lids.
Pack lunches - preparing your lunch in tupperware and reusable containers. You can use beeswax wraps as an alternative to foil and cling film.
Using soap bars when showering can remove single-use washing products items. You can even get shampoo bars.
Using a bamboo toothbrush.

Plastic Free Falmouth's usefull signposts

Falmouth's Un_Rap store sells wholesale foods that can be bought in your own containers, as well as other sustainable lifestyle products.

You can teracycle your crisp packets at the local drop of point at Falmouth Fire Station. More information on this can be found here.

Many local businesses constantly require packaging such as cardboard boxes. Sign up to the Packshare scheme to share yours.

If you are thirsty while in Falmouth, then you can use the Refill app to find one of the many businesses that have pledged to supply free water bottle refills.

Should you find any ghost nets, we have an advice page on who you can contact to help deal with it.

Transition Falmouth are an organisation addressing low energy solutions in the area. You can sign up to a Surfers Against Sewage personal action plan to find out how to get more involved in plastic free initiatives

Greenwashing

We are currently living in a period where the importance of caring for our planet is a significant issue for customers. Companies have shifted in reaction; however it is worthwhile to check if they are advertising genuinely or 'greenwashing' - portraying themselves as eco-friendly when this is mostly for the benefit of marketing and not nature. This is done in a few ways:

> Hidden trade-offs such as heavily emphasising use of carboard packaging but ......not acknowledging the impacts of manufacturing and shipping

> No Proof by making claims not backed by respected 3rd parties

> Misleading Vagueness, by advertising that something as recyclable, .....compostable, biodegradable without clarification e.g. recyclable by drop off .....at extremely limited areas or being biodegradable in highly specific .....conditions

> Using a campaign as a front for continued unsustainable practices e.g. H&M's ......recycling for coupons service