Plastic here, plastic there, plastic in the ocean, plastic in the air. Plastic products have become like get rich quick guru's; they’re everywhere. 

We are lucky that we are born with a brain, which lets us solve complex issues that we (accidentally) create ourselves. The overuse of plastic being one of them. Smart humans have figured out alternatives for all that plastic, and we thought it would be a good idea to share some of them with you in this blog.

Alternatives for plastic water bottles

There is a better alternative for the crunchy plastic bottles; reusable ones! Either made from (recycled) plastic or steel, these bottles are made to last longer, which is one of the pillars of sustainability in our opinion. If you can't go around plastic bottles, see if you can get a deposit on them.

Contrary to what a lot of people believe; biodegradable is not always a better option than plastic. First of all, many bioplastics are mixed with actual plastic, which makes them very hard to recycle (think of the cardboard cups with plastic lining inside). This completely ruins the argument for using products like these. Next to that; if a product IS biodegradable, that does not mean that you can simply throw it away in the soil. There are many levels of biodegradability, most of them are in non-natural conditions.

Alternatives for plastic straws

We’ve all seen the sad image of the turtle with the straw in its nose. No one likes looking at that, but they do paint the picture of what’s happening. Straws have been around for a long time, and are usually a sign of fun when combined with a cocktail RIBAAAA! I say let’s keep the fun and ditch the rum, oh wait … no! Ditch the plastic!

I mean, how cool is a straw made from straw, or these fancy stainless steel straws?

Alternatives for plastic packaging

With Covid-19 forcing people to buy more online than ever, packaging for shipping products have increased as well. We’ve all seen it; you buy a small product and it arrives in a way too big package, with bubble wrap, and plastic covers.

Luckily, there are some alternatives for this; recycled cardboard, biodegradable polybags and reusable (plastic) packaging. If the brands you like don’t use any of these yet, just let them know that you would like them to switch, and maybe they will listen :).

Alternatives for plastic face masks

Another byproduct of eating bats; face masks! While they probably have helped out a lot with combatting this virus, they leave a huge trail of waste behind. Our good friend Paul Waye has been picking them up by the hundreds while plogging for example.

The best thing to do in this case, is to grab some leftover t-shirts or other fabric and head over to Youtube for some DIY. If you don’t like sewing yourself, find some washable, natural face masks and use them until we’re out of this madness.

Team Iron Roots