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What is plastic free july?

 

Plastic Free July® is a global movement that helps millions of people be part of the solution to plastic pollution – so we can have cleaner streets, oceans, and beautiful communities. Watch the video below to find out more about this campaign and how you can get involved. 

Why are single use plastics so bad?

Single-use plastics are a major cause for concern as they take hundreds of years to degrade and if not recycled, they can end up harming wildlife and delicate eco-systems including the countryside and oceans. Greenpeace were part of a huge clean up survey recently and found the top polluters of single-use plastic were super-brands such as Coca cola, PepsiCo & Nestle. Although we’re only a small fish, with your help we’re still keen to look after our beautiful pond.

Why is recycling important?

We feel plastic is not the complete problem, it’s the fact that we don’t reuse and recycle enough. The ultimate goal would be to have a circular economy for plastic, although it may take some time for the infrastructure to support this – sadly as much as we try, often our doorstep recycling doesn’t always get recycled! According to recyclingbins.co.uk, of the 26m tonnes of waste produced in the UK, 12m tonnes are recycled, and 14m tonnes are sent to landfill sites, giving us an average recycling rate of only 45%.

 

TOP TIP:

We’re loving the fact you can recycle soft plastics via most major supermarkets now. Certainly, a step in the right direction from the food industry.

Our research is ongoing in this space and we’re hoping in time, technology and innovation will provide new solutions, but until then we all (organisation and individuals) need to do what we can. We’ve found there are various pros and cons to every material as an alternative to plastic, for example glass is heavy to ship and metal such as aluminium although easy to recycle, it requires lots of energy to produce initially.

7 easy switches to reduce your plastic consumption:

By making some minor adjustments to our daily lives, together we could all make a huge difference, see the 7 tips below on how you can reduce plastic in your home this year:

  1. Buy plastic-free tea bags
  2. Carry a bag for life in your handbag
  3. Take a refill mug with you when you travel
  4. Use reusable food storage containers (not cling film)

5. Buy compostable bags for kitchen waste or pet litter

6. Try switching to reusable sanitary products

7. Switch to traditional soap bars

If you’ve followed The Somerset Toiletry Co over recent years, you’ll know we are on a journey to become more sustainable. As a company that produces mainly toiletries, it is a bit of a shift for us, however, we are committed to doing our bit. Some of the actions we’ve already taken to reduce plastic in our products include:

  • Moved away from non-recyclable plastic bottles such as PVC
  • Changed gift set designs to remove (acetate) plastic windows
  • Added recycled plastic (PCR) in bottles where possible
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If you are keen to reduce plastic in your household this July, you may find switching to a traditional soap bar instead of bottles of body wash will make a big difference. Soap bars generally have a lower environmental impact when compared with liquid soap due to paper-based packaging and the fact they last much longer. To add to our sustainable credentials, we proudly manufacture soap in our own facility here in Somerset, so our carbon footprint is minimal. What’s not to love.

Read The Story behind The Ministry of Soap to find out a little more about our sustainably sourced Somerset-made soap.

One thing we’re really excited about this year is our new 750ml refill pouches. Perhaps not the most common gift, we’re hoping our Naturally European customers will top up their hand wash dispensers with our eco-friendly pouches. They contain 75% less plastic than standard bottles and requiring 80% less carbon to produce, ship and store. Made in the UK, they are a sustainable alternative to plastic bottles. And what’s even better, our hand wash bottles get reused – it’s win win!

Wishing you luck on your plastic free journey. Please let us know how you get on and any share any tips to reducing plastic in your home.   

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The Somerset Toiletry Company was founded in 1999 and has been developing beautiful body care and gifts ever since. Please read our about us page to find out more, or explore all our scented toiletries, home fragrances and more on our website.

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