We all know that single-use plastic is bad for the environment – especially when it gets thrown away rather than reused. This is why it’s so important that we ensure that we recycle as much as we can and try to find alternatives to single use plastic or avoid single-use plastic altogether.
When avoiding single-use plastic is unavoidable, though, you can also look to reuse that plastic in other ways in your home. As this keeps it away from the landfills and any oceans. So, how can you reuse single-use plastic in your home? Well, here are some ideas from our KwikSweep team:
Resealable Freezer Bags
Whether it’s frozen vegetables for dinners or bags of frozen fruit for some healthy smoothies – many regularly buy these items that come in resealable bags. When we’ve used all the contents, though, we tend to throw these plastic bags out.
Instead, why not wash their bags out and use them as resealable freezer bags for something else? You could even think about putting something similar in them like frozen fruit or vegetables. Or you could fill it with anything you’d like to freeze, such as meat portions. You can even make your own curry paste, freeze it in ice cube trays and then transfer it to your recycled freezer bag.
Lunch Boxes or Craft Containers
Unfortunately, while other fruits can be bought with zero waste. Items like strawberries and raspberries will come in a little plastic container. Indeed, many of us can get through as many as 5 or 6 of these little boxes a week.
Rather than throwing these out, you can collect these up and use them for useful storage around your home. For instance, these would work well for crayons or for splitting sets of Lego. Or, you could use them as lunch containers to take to work or for storing food in for a family picnic.
Bird Feeders
If you’re looking for a fun way to reuse single-use plastic such as milk bottles or juice containers, you’ll find lots of tutorials online that will show you how to convert these into bird feeders for your garden. Not only is this a fun activity for the kids, but you’ll also make your neighbourhood birds incredibly happy that they’re getting some tasty food.
Containers for Zero Waste Shops
More and more zero-waste shops are popping up across the UK, where items are sold without packaging to help keep plastic waste down. If you have one of these shops nearby, you can take along plastic bottles – such as from your anti-bacterial spray, handwash or washing-up liquid – and re-fill them. This helps prevent you from needing to buy plastic every time you run out and is a great alternative to single use plastic swaps.
Food Storage Boxes
Not only does a 2L tub of ice cream contain a seriously tasty snack, but the tub can then be reused for storage in your kitchen too. You can fill them with cookie cutters, leftovers or even for taking your lunch to work. The same goes for butter tubs, just think about these plastic boxes and what they might be useful for.
If you have any waste that needs collecting or house clearance and you have recycled as much as possible, simply get in touch with our KwikSweep time and we’ll help advise you on how we can help.
Do you have any tips for single use plastic swaps? We would love to hear your suggestions in the comments section below.
