Can ditching plastic be fantastic?
July 4, 2022
Did you know it takes around 450 years for one plastic bottle to break down completely? Yet only 1 in 5 plastic bottles are recycled. In fact, more than 40 per cent of plastic is used just once and then tossed away.
The world plastic production increased exponentially from 2.1 million tonnes in 1950 to 147 million tonnes in 1993, but it didn’t stop there. In 2015 we cemented ourselves as a “throw away” society, with more than 406 million tonnes of plastic produced.
Could you go plastic free?
With these terrible statistics in mind, Amy from the TelstraSuper Investment Team decided it was time to join the global movement to reduce plastic pollution—so she took on Plastic Free July.
The swaps
To start, Amy identified all the places her family used plastic and planned out alternatives.
| Plastic | Alternative |
| Plastic wrapped supermarket veggies | Nude veggies delivered via crate straight to your door |
| Cling wrap | Beewax Wrap |
| Plastic wrapped toilet paper | Paper wrapped toilet paper |
| Plastic bottles of shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, moisturiser | Shampoo, conditioner, and moisturiser in bar form. Toothpaste in a tin. |
| Aerosol deodorant | Deodorant in a tin |
| Meat in plastic wrap | Take your own container to the butcher |
| Flour, nuts, pasta, honey, spices | Take your own container to bulk food stores |
| Dairy in plastic packaging | Glass bottle milk delivery, cheese from deli in own container |
| Entertaining | Make own dips, sorbet, etc. |
| Plastic toys | Replace with wooden toys |
| Plastic bin liners | Compostable bin liners |
| Laundry liquid in plastic bottles | Laundry powder in a jar |
| Sticky tape | Paper craft tape or twine |
| Delivery / postal satchels | Compostable sleeves |
The challenges
- Some swaps were easier than others. While Amy loved using shampoo in a bar form, it was harder to convince her local butcher to use her own container. What was her solution? She shopped around until she found a butcher who was on board with the plastic free movement.
- She also needed to be organised. While you can now get many plastic free products from the supermarket (check out the Bio Bag bin liners), others you need to order in advance. So it can be hard to just “duck to the shops” to pick up bits and pieces.
- It can also take time to get used to the new products. In Amy’s house, the toothpaste in a tin raised some eyebrows at first, but it’s now a bathroom regular.
The learnings
- It can be really hard and you’ll need to be organised to make a plastic free life work
- Plastic free can also be expensive so keep this in mind when budgeting
- Your diet may change as you’ll eat far less processed food – but that can be another added upside!
- If you have kids, it will encourage them to think about what they’re using and be mindful of our environment
- It’s hard, but it’s worth it!
While Amy managed to significantly reduce her plastic use during July, it was tough going as plastic is everywhere. Now that the challenge is over, she is much more aware of how prevalent plastic is in our society and how limited the alternatives are. But, on a good note, some items were a big success and will now feature permanently in her home including reusable straws, a Soda Stream and homemade ice cream moulds.
Going plastic free is challenging but your super doesn’t have to be
Your super doesn’t need to be a challenge. You can give us a call on 1300 033 166 and speak with an Adviser from TelstraSuper Financial Planning who can talk to you about your insurance, investment choice or boosting your super. General and simple personal advice about your TelstraSuper account is available over the phone. There's no additional cost for this phone based advice as this is included in your TelstraSuper membership.