Easy Ways to Cut Back On Your Disposable Plastic Use Featuring Brita

This post is sponsored by Brita but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

By now, you’re most likely pretty well versed in the negative effects that single-use plastics has on our planet. Whether you’re motivated by keeping your own health in tip top shape, or you feel inspired to reduce plastic pollution on our planet (or both!) the first step is cutting back on our dependability on disposable plastics.

When it comes to going green, small changes make a big difference. There are so many tiny swaps that you can incorporate into your daily routine that really make a big difference when you add them all up. Say you give up plastic bags and plastic water bottles, for instance. It may not seem like much at first. But think of how much plastic you will save from landfills over the course of a month, a year, or a lifetime.

We have known and used Brita filters for a very long time in our home. We use great-tasting Brita filtered water for brewing coffee, cooking, hydrating pets-the list goes on!!! So today I am so excited to partner with Brita to show you some easy swaps for sustainability. Turns out, it’s actually simpler than you would think! I'm personally focusing on doing these in my own life and I hope this post helps you find some new (and super simple) ways you can have a better impact on the environment. If you tend to get overwhelmed easily – maybe start with one that seems the easiest and go from there!

Speaking of easy, one of the easiest things you can do is GET A REUSABLE WATER BOTTLE. Not only does it help you stay more hydrated on the go, BUT we are also reducing the amount of plastic water bottles that are being added into our world.

As I'm sure many of you know, plastic water bottles are SO wasteful! There are so many alternatives to choose from – I personally like to use this one from Brita because it's easy to drink out of, comes it a ton of fun colors like mine in forest green and it’s insulated to keep my water super cool and refreshing! This Brita Filtering Bottle’s unique stainless steel design features double wall insulation to keep water cold for up to 24 hours. If your reason for drinking bottled water is that you prefer filtered water to tap water, well this amazing bottle is going to solve that excuse for you too. This 20 ounce Brita filtering bottle filters as you drink from the straw to deliver hassle-free hydration anywhere. Featuring an enclosed, easy-sip straw, built-in carrying loop for grab-and-go portability, and one-handed push button lid, this bottle is designed for effortless convenience. It’s gorgeous too if you are a fashionista like me! The bottle is car cup holder friendly and has a leak-proof design to help you avoid surprise drips and spills. Absolutely hate accidents in my car cup holder. That has to be the worst!

Just FYI- with the Brita Filtering Bottle, you can replace 1,800 single-use plastic bottles a year!!! You guys….this is a no brainer.

1. 2,000 plastic water bottles are used every second in the U.S.

2. Plastic water bottles take 450 years to decompose

3. We spend $13 billion on bottled water each year

4. By 2050, there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean

5. Enough plastic to fill a dump truck ends up in oceans every minute

6. 70% of plastic bottles are not recycled

Those facts should definitely have you inspired to eliminate single-use plastic waste with the Brita Filtering Bottles! You can now enjoy hassle-free hydration anywhere: at home, the office, a sporting event, or a trip abroad. One bottle filter can replace up to 300 single-use plastic bottles, so you can stay hydrated, save money, and reduce plastic waste. For best results, replace the filter every 40 gallons or about every two months. With Brita, take filtered water anywhere you go!

Another simple swap is with your food storage!

I’ve been using cotton wraps with beeswax for the last 7 months and have loved having them in my kitchen! They are such a great alternative to tin foil and plastic. The sheets come in different sizes too! With cotton wraps you can wrap your food in an easy way. We use ours for covering bread and fruit, and salads! They can be used for almost all kinds of food except for raw meat. (we use glass food containers for that) Cotton wraps are made of organic, GOTS-certified cotton treated with a mix of beeswax and jojoba oil. With proper care they can last up to a year or more. We use reusable smoothie bags for smoothies and porridge! And even use reusable snack bags.

A bit of a more challenging swap but a very worth it swap was upgrading our whole pantry to a plastic free pantry too. It was not hard in a task sense, only a monetary expense so we needed to save up for this project! But I am so glad that it is done and buying in bulk has never been so fun! It’s so much better for the pocket book too. We also have not owned a microwave in about ten years and we also built our home without a garbage disposal. And we use green energy for electricity. Again, these are harder swaps but I just want to convey how green we really are! We have a compost too but have not committed to it as much as we should out of pure laziness.

Another easy easy simple swap is shopping bags!

You have about a million reusable shopping bags around the house! Use them! Mesh produce bags are a great addition to your grocery shopping trips too. I sometimes find them to be a little cumbersome to tote back and forth from the store, and in general, end up just carrying most of my fruits and veggies out without a produce bag altogether. And that works just fine!

It’s time to ditch the paper towels too!!

I 100% understand the love of paper towels. I feel like I never knew the state of my kitchen towel (what had it been used to clean up, is this towel that I’m using to dry my hands even clean, etc.) until I had a system in place. I now have a towel designated for drying hands, one for wiping up any/all messes and counters. Full disclosure: I still do keep paper towels on hand just in case there is a mess that requires it (Melvin and Henry , looking at you) but I rarely use them! We really have been trying to use reusable paper towels! Another post! Another day!

My last and final tip is to purchase a metal straw!! And carry it with you everywhere!!!!

Your turn…

Which one of these did you identify with the most? Was there one that seemed like a simple first step you can take? I would love to hear what you plan on doing to become more eco-conscious! And duh!! What color of Brita Filtering Bottle are you going to buy?!!!!

I highly recommend the Forest green !!!! (wink)

Cheers to reducing single-use plastic waste!!!

If not now…when?