It’s now been around 2 weeks of refusing single-use plastic and I have to say it’s not been easy!

There has been a couple of avoidable slip-ups, but it really has highlighted the amount of plastic people consume on a day-to-day basis. On a positive note, it has made us eat better and support some local businesses, some of which are featured below.

Challenges

• It has been difficult always making sure we have snacks while we are out for the day. If you wanted to pick up something quick, you would be surprised to find that there really isn’t too much available other than some fruit which probably isn’t the worst snack option.

• Delivery fail! One of the cups on our blender broke so the company sent us out a replacement for free but it came in plastic… This could have been avoided or I should have spoken to each company before they sent it out.

• Cinema Fail! We tried to use our own cups to get drinks at Cineworld but they refused They said it was a covid issue which is understandable but disappointing.

• I have run out of Vitamin D tablets and struggling to find a plastic-free replacement

Positives

• We have been eating healthier as we know where all our food is coming from and most meals are cooked from scratch.

• Fewer takeaways. We have chosen to make more of the time we have and instead of ordering a takeaway, we go out to eat. Whilst we are out we can double-check with the waiter if sauces come in packs etc.

• As I mentioned we have found some amazing shops and businesses to support. Here are some of them:

The Village Greengrocers - SE7, London

We are so lucky to have this amazing store just around the corner from us. Most of the stock is organic and we are able to get most of our necessities from here all plastic-free! Including milk in returnable glass bottles.

SWOP (Shop WithOut Plastic) SE12, London

This is a completely plastic-free and waste-free refillable shop. I managed to get washing up liquid, shampoo conditioner, and even gluten-free pasta!

Here are some other shops and stalls we visited in the past 2 weeks