When pleasures of gadgets conquer our family & social life we turn to social detox. It becomes a way to save & value our real relationships over the virtual. Similarly, pleasures of plastic have been eating upon every morsel of land, air & water. Therefore, it’s the crying need of the day to save our oceans, land, people & planet from the plastic penance. It’s high time to plastic detox!

How to live plastic free? It’s simply breaking the plastic addiction. The addiction roots to the convenience & economics of plastic packaging. It is a trade-off between making something from scratch & toiling for hours versus buying a pre-packaged version. A no-brainer for most! Especially, when plastic prices don’t factor in the cost of polluter pays or managing its disposal. Breaking this plastic addiction is a matter of changing their habits, opinions & preconceptions to help preserve people, life & planet. The marine conservation society was the pioneer to embark on the plastic free journey & with reverence to the oceans they are protecting it’s a humble attempt to pass on the goodwill.

A day in the life of plastic detox ….

Getting Up … Yawn!

• Forget old plastic alarm clocks or don’t upgrade them! Set alarms on your multipurpose mobiles away!
• Bamboo toothbrush with corn-starch bristles
• Soap bars & likewise shampoo bars instead of bottles

Babies & Kids: How can someone so small need so much stuff? Toys, nappies, bottles, strollers, cribs: babies welcome to plastic land

• Use washable, reusable nappies – not disposable ones
• Pack your bottles & tiffins when it’s baby’s day out. No need to buy packaged food & drink!
• Ditch the cartoon character cutlery & move straight to stainless steel.
• Swap plastic toys for health–proof wooden toys
• Have a plastic –free bathtime with baby soap bars & unfinished wooden toys can dry on the side.

Breakfast

• Cook breakfast at home
• Book your milkman with glass bottles
• Pick your own fresh local fruits & veggies in cloth backs
• Don’t over stock your fridge! Just buy enough for your daily need.
• Carry your own portable coffee cup

Office & your meal deals:

• Choose stationery made from cardboard, wood, cork or recycled paper
• Pass on the goodwill amidst your team & colleagues! Yay! Earn some brownie points!
• Carry your tiffin & avoid plastic wrapped sandwiches. Have a fresh food pantry or cafeteria serving.
• Use refillable glass bottles at each desk with a common water filter
• Most importantly: take your time: Plan what you want to eat, buy (or grow) the ingredients plastic free & prepare your food at home to avoid the dreaded meal deal & all that unnecessary waste.

After work activities:

• Chuck off clinging single use idiot box & get onto the spirit of healthy sport!
• Try non-plastic sports gear, made from wool, hemp, soy or bamboo fibres – they are more expensive, but a good investment.
• Sports shoes are to find without plastic - try the ones made from recycled plastic & use them until they wear out. Log onto the reuse-shoe-program at an outlet nearby.
• Make your own nutritious snacks than branded energy bars
• In after showers avoid shampoos & face washes with microbeads

They day ends! Communicate to your kids sweet dreams of nature & mermaids in clean blue oceans….kids value the nature in the longer run! Get the kids on board – make them your in house recycling experts and plan for the next day!