“No cup, no
coff ee”. I started
remembering my
reusable coff ee
cup quick smart
after that self-
imposed rule.ALEXX STUART
Alexx Stuart is
a passionate educator in
the space she calls “living
a low-tox life”. Through
her speaking, workshops,
e-courses and online
community, she helps
people make the best new
choices for themselves,
their family and the
planet. W: lowtoxlife.comBreak up with single-use plastic
S
ingle-use plastics are everywhere: coffee
cups, produce bags, plastic water bottles,
plastic smoothie cups, plastic straws — the list
goes on. You’d have to be living under a large
rock not to know there’s a single-use plastic disaster
happening globally, so it prompts the question: why?
In my book Low Tox Life I explore the reasons
why change sticks after you’ve become aware of the
various needs for change. In my humble opinion,
these are the two main ways change takes hold:- You feel a deep sense of pain about the problem
at hand. You might have watched a documentary or
two, seen evidence up close and have enough fire in
your belly to act. If you’re still at the “oh, I’m normally
good, just this once” stage, watch the documentaries
Plastic Ocean and Albatross. - You impose self-discipline on your change-making
journey that involves an element of deprivation.
Here, I take a look at the main single-use items
found in daily life and offer alternatives.
Coff ee cups
Using a reusable cup can reduce greenhouse gas
emissions by up to 92 per cent a year when compared
to a disposable, single-use cup. Did you know that
Australians still go through approximately one billion
disposable coffee cups each year? That’s 2,700,000
paper coffee cups thrown out every day!
Why? It’s simple, really: we’re addicted to both the
convenience and the substance. Double addiction =
doubly hard to change.
My simple rule to make this switch is “no cup, no
coffee”. I started remembering my reusable coffee cup
quick smart after that self-imposed rule. Try it out.Plastic bottles
Just stop using plastic bottles. Go without (within
medically safe reasoning, of course!) and get thirsty
a couple of times — then you’ll remember your
bottle. No water, no drink. Gentle discipline will
accelerate the change, I guarantee you.
Choose a quality stainless product from a brand
that can attest to there being no lead in it and choose
silicone-spouted bottles or lids. Another option is to
simply use a glass mineral water bottle that you can
refill thousands of times. Worried about smashing it?
Place a thick sock over it for shatter prevention.Cutlery
Placing a clean fork in your bag will get you through
most food-court challenges when you’re caught out
and have to eat lunch out. To take it a step further,
wrap the fork in a serviette from home to avoid the
need for a paper napkin. All that’s needed is a quick
wipe of the fork with the serviette after the meal then
wrap it back up and take it home for a wash. Job done.Smoothie cups
For smoothies, I use the metal side of a Boston
cocktail shaker. Boston shakers (I knew my
bartending days would come in handy!) are glass on
one side and thin stainless steel on the other and
they fit a large smoothie or juice with ease. So, save
money and head to a hospitality store to get one.What’s crazy on the smoothie front is that many
cafes and food courts don’t even offer a jar/tall glass
option and automatically put it in a plastic cup when
you’re having it at the cafe. As a customer, you need
to be vigilant — not just when ordering takeaway but
also when having your smoothie “in”.Plastic bags
While plastic bag use has come down around 80
per cent since the two major supermarkets stopped
their use, we’re still looking at hundreds of millions
of single-use bags used every day, from bin liners
to produce bags to retail store merch bags. Switch
to a reusable bag. Organic GOTS-certified cotton
bags or bags made from recycled plastic are my
two preferred options.
When you’re caught without your reusable bag?
Nothing helps you remember like an awkward carry
of all items back to the car, strategically wrapped
in a gym towel. Lean into the discomfort of having
to try and stuff those 10 avocadoes for a weekend
barbecue into your handbag like a shoplifter and
tell me that’s not a strong impetus to remember
the reusable bags next time.
When you unpack your shopping, place your
reusable bags at your front door so you’re prompted
to take them as you leave the house. Works a treat!Produce bags
Quit using the individual plastic bags to “protect”
your produce. It’s not necessary for most of what you
buy. When it comes to buying beans, snow peas, baby
spinach leaves, go with these options:- Keep bags you receive when buying new sheets or
shoes or from retailers who gift a reusable instead of
plastic shopping bags. They can all become your new
produce bags. - When you’re caught out with no other option, head
over to the mushrooms and grab a brown paper
mushroom bag.
Common questions
Does it make a difference if I use those “green”
single-use items?
It can, but most bins are a single landfill-destined
bin so, regardless of how “green” that cutlery
or compostable plate may be, once trapped in
landfill they’ll find it very hard to break down.
If you can get it into a recycling bin in a place that
actually recycles, go for it, but know that your
long game should be to switch to reusable at
every possible turn.
But what happens when they refuse to make my
coffee/smoothie with the cup I provide?
Interestingly, in Australia there’s no actual food
health/safety law that states they’re allowed to
say “no”. I suggest pointing out it’s not against the
law to use your own clean cup and, if they can’t
make a decision on it, have a chat to the manager
if you can. Be ready to own the mild discomfort
of this planet-care-fuelled conversation with the
manager/employee. This is how bigger change
starts. It also goes for bringing glass containers
for takeaway or deli items, too. Photography^ RobPalmer;^ Getty^Imagescolumn
THE CONSCIOUS LIFE144 | wellbeing.com.au