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Finding plastic alternatives

Distancing yourself from plastic might not be easy, as it requires to change habits in your everyday life that have been there for years.

To help you along with this difficult transition, we have selected 8 top tips to reduce your single-use plastic usage, from the most obvious ones to a few originals.

  1. Always carry your own shopping bag

    Somewhere between five billion and one trillion plastic bags are used worldwide – and disposed of – every year. Always carrying your own shopping bag will make a difference, especially if we all do it, since it takes from 10 to 1000 years for plastic bags to decompose.

  2. Stop buying bottled water

    In most modern cities, there is simply nothing wrong with tap water. Unless there is a definite problem with the water where you live, there is no good reason for buying bottled water. If you still are not in the mood for tap water, we suggest you look for refilling solutions, like the ECO bottle, available at Pingo Doce stores, or any other solution where you reuse your own bottle.

  3. Carry your own thermos bottle

    While this is a dramatic shift in Latin countries, where coffee traditions tend to favor small ceramic cups and sitting-down consumption, in many countries the “coffee to go” tradition is stronger. In the latter case, carrying your own thermos bottle will spare our world from millions of plastic cups that tend to end up at dumps or in the oceans.

  4. Say no to plastic straws

    Whether at home or when you’re ordering a drink at a bar or restaurant, plastic straws are a single-use item that are just not necessary for most of us, generating millions of plastic particles that are polluting our planet.

  5. Remove plastic from your body

    Much of the plastic that’s polluting the oceans are microplastics, tiny particles that are almost impossible to filter out, but end up poisoning marine fauna and suffocating coral reefs. Microplastics are commonly added to consumer products like face wash, bath gel, and toothpaste. These little beads are intended to be exfoliators or otherwise abrasive, but many treatment facilities aren’t able to dispose of them. There are many biodegradable alternatives, so avoid items with “polypropylene” or “polyethylene” on the ingredients list.

  6. Dump disposable razors

    Instead of throwing out a plastic razor on a regular basis, consider switching to a razor that lets you replace just the blade or even a straight razor.

  7. Instead of sandwich bags, use a lunch box or paper bag

    Plastic baggies, plastic wrap and plastic storage containers are all sources of waste. Instead of sandwich bags, why not pack a lunch box or paper bag?

  8. Turn your pantry into a time capsule

    Remember the old grocery stores, with rows of glass jars on the shelves? Your pantry or even fridge can become just like them, with that tasteful vintage look, if you use glass jars and flasks instead…