Easy Steps to Saving the World

It's amazing how much a simple image can change the attitude of an entire country. However, that's exactly what BBC's 'Blue Planet II' managed to do with a shot of a whale carrying its dead calf in its mouth. The calf likely died of plastic poisoning and so this image has spurned a countrywide movement to cut the plastic.

Now, I know I'm not the most environmentally friendly person in the world. I don't always recycle - my flat is tiny and really does only have room for one bin - and my washing machine doesn't even have a 30 setting. However, the Post Blue Planet Guilt has set in and consequently, I've adopted a couple of simple steps which, with very little thought, make it easy to cut my plastic consumption.

(No whale photos I'm afraid, but here's a shot of a beautiful Costa Rican beach. Note the lack of dead sea life.)

1) Make the bag for life your new companion for life. I have a durable, reusable, (admittedly plastic) bag in my handbag at all times. This way, it's always on you and you don't even have to think before popping down to the shops. Sounds obvious, but it took me a surprising number of 'damn I forgot bags again' at supermarket checkouts before I trained myself to keep one in my handbag.

2) Get a travel mug! Again, sounds obvious but this one will go a long way towards making you an environmental friendly pro. For example, did you know that there are only three places in the UK where coffee cups can be recycled? So all that effort you've expended into putting them into recycling bins was probably wasted as most cups never make it to one of these three recycling plants. Initially, I 'tried to be good' by reusing my coffee cup and trying to keep to one throwaway a day. But in the end I realised this was just a bit ridiculous and popped into a TK Maxx on the way home and picked up a travel mug for a fiver. I could have spent even less, but I wanted a pink one. Now, I get to sit at my desk feeling smug, judging all the disposable cup using people. It's a good feeling.

3) Back to the supermarkets - y'know the fruit and veg sections? Forgo the little flimsy plastic bags you can pack your veg into and just stick it straight in your basket. If you're anything like me, those bags go straight in the bin when you get home anyway! If you have too much veg and you don't want it rolling around everywhere, try and hunt down those bags for loose mushrooms. For some strange reason, those bags seem to be made of predominantly paper. Not a perfect solution, but definitely a step in the right direction!

4) My forth and last tip is stop using plastic straws. Just sip your cocktail (or drink Champagne - no one does that with a straw!). Fine, it's a pain in the arse if you've freshly done your lipstick, but on the plus side, at least you can admire the colour if it's stuck on the side of a glass...

So those are four (hopefully super easy) steps to reduce your plastic waste. No need to be a complete hippy-eco-warrior, but little changes to our lifestyle can add up and make a big difference.

What tips do you have? Let me know in the comments!