Going plastic free

Full Circle zero waste shop at Cambridge Market

Sustainability is a key part of the Jane Mansley Fitness and Pilates ethos. Just as I believe that any exercise plan should be sustainable long-term, so should our lifestyle generally.

This year, I tried the Plastic Free July challenge to give up single-use plastics for a month. Why plastics? When China stopped accepting most plastics for recycling in 2018, countries such as the UK began to divert plastic waste to other countries which didn't have the infrastructure to cope with the recycling. Much ended up in landfill, and has found its way to the sea, or has simply been burned, polluting the local area with toxic fumes. According to Cambridge city council, our plastics are currently recycled, so it's worth separating your waste, but reducing plastic use generally is more sustainable as the market for recycled plastic is limited. Unlike glass and metal, plastics cannot be recycled indefinitely. Plastics are polymers (long chains of atoms) and the chains shorten during the recycling process, reducing their quality. Even with the best systems in place, a piece of plastic can only be recycled about 2-3 times before it can no longer be used.
My goals during Plastic Free July were to:

• Live a normal, enjoyable lifestyle - it's not sustainable if it isn't inspiring.
• Avoid single-use alternatives - they come with their own problems. Avoiding unnecessary packaging, or re-using packaging is the way to go. 
• Not overspend - if being green costs more, it won't be sustainable. It will be the privilege of the rich. Some products may cost more, or have a high initial outlay, but I'm hoping that it will all even out eventually.
• Not martyr myself - I prioritised keeping myself fit and healthy, even if that involved using small amounts of plastic.

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Self-filled jars of dried food.

Having finished the challenge, it's been an eye-opener. I had thought that I was already pretty conscious of waste, but it transpires that I had a fair bit of room for improvement.  Here are a few changes I will stick with:

• I feel a fool for using shower gel all those years.  Bars of soap are economical, effective and leak-free for travelling.
• I also tried bar shampoo. I was sceptical about whether my highlighted hair would be like straw at the end of the challenge, but it has been great. I follow the shampoo with a spray made from diluted cider vinegar instead of conditioner, and my hair looks and feels great. 
• For menstrual products, I previously alternated a menstrual cup with disposable pads. To replace the latter, I bought a washable pad. I found it more comfortable than disposables, but it was expensive, so I sewed the remainder I needed using scrap material and instructions I found online.
• Bringing my own reusable - not just a bag for fruit and veg, but also taking a tub to be filled at the baker, butcher and delicatessen. Not only does it save plastic, but it also means that you don't end up with smelly wrapping in your bin!
• A water carbonator means I can enjoy relatively guilt-free sparkling water. It was a big investment (not sure how much as it was a birthday pre
  sent from my husband) but will save money and waste in the long run.
• Although I liked bar soap for the shower, I didn't get on so well with it for the sink. Fortunately, you can refill handwash cheaply at the Full Circle shop at Cambridge market and health food shops. The same places also offer washing up liquid refills.
• Fill-your-own containers with dried food. As things stand, I will use this occasionally, rather than routinely. It means going out of my way (I used Daily Bread), and most products were more expensive than at a supermarket. However, it is a fun machine to use and your shelves look beautiful! Full Circle on Cambridge Market will very soon be stocking a range of over forty food products, so I will be investigating their offerings too. EDIT: Full Circle now stock their foods, including dry goods and cooking oils.
• Bamboo toothbrushes save a trivial amount of plastic, but I like my Truthbrush. The bristles fell out of a cheaper one I bought - you get what you pay for.
• My children bought me a set of steel straws for my birthday. They last indefinitely and come with a special thin cleaning brush, though they will also go in the dishwasher.
• Instead of toothpaste in a tube, I bought tablets. The ones I found contain fluoride, so I hope my dentist will approve. You have to chew them until they make a paste, and then use that to clean your teeth. If you breathe during the chewing process, you inhale toothpaste powder, so they take a bit of getting used to.
• I had grown lazy at giving my children a packaged snack. This challenge has reminded me that simple baking is very little effort, and cheaper than buying individually wrapped biscuits.

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Some ambitions were less successful:

• Sunscreen. I couldn't find a plastic-free alternative that I trusted to work.
• Dental floss. I found a charcoal floss, but it was really expensive and I didn't like the look of it.
• Clothes. I find synthetic materials to be really practical in my profession (sorry!) and switching to cotton has its own problems (pesticides, water usage etc). I suspect that the best solution is to try to buy clothes second-hand where possible, and wear them until they fall apart.
• Dishwasher tablets. I didn't find a zero-waste alternative to dishwasher tablets, so I'm sticking with Ecover.
• Baking bread and making my own oat milk. I really thought that this challenge would motivate me, but I didn't get around to it.

​Going more plastic free has turned out to be good fun, not too time consuming, and in the long run I'm sure it won't cost me more money. The main challenge in the future is about being organised: remembering to bring tubs and bags with me; thinking ahead about when and where to buy things; and turning the oven on to bake some snacks.

Dried food filling station at Daily Bread Co-Operative, Cambridge