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Cutting down on plastic is hard. Especially when everything seems to be wrapped in the stuff. With the festive period underway, and Christmas fast approaching, plastic at this time of year is hard to avoid.
From single-use plastic cutlery during lunch breaks, to plastic straws or packaging with takeaway treats, it’s up to every one of us, especially in the workplace to ensure this Christmas season is as plastic-free as possible. So, here are our tips to make sure you can have a plastic-free festive season in the workplace.
Every workplace loves a secret Santa. You receive an anonymous gift, and try feverishly to work out who the gift-giver is. Secret Santa, (though great for gifts) is not great for plastic. Presents are often wrapped in coated wrapping paper, which means it is not able to be recycled. The paper is coated with plastic in order to give it the shiny effect, which looks great but is bad for the environment – especially as wrapping paper is barely reused. The waste paper goes straight into landfill. If you’ve got secret Santa this year, why not think about wrapping your gift in brown paper or newspaper instead.
Rather than drinking fizzy drinks that come in a plastic bottle, or ‘treating’ yourself to fast food and drink that comes with a plastic straw, try and hydrate at work with a glass of water, not a bottle. It doesn’t have to be boring! We understand that over the festive period you may want to treat yourself – so why not bring in cordial from home? Mix with sparkling water from your Billi tap, and enjoy for instant refreshment. Or, make some hot squash using the boiling water from your Billi tap, and warm yourself from the inside out as the cold sets in.
Christmas is a whirlwind of buffets, guests and visitors – even at work! That means washing up is right at the bottom of your to do list. We get it. Washing up is not how you want to be spending your time, especially at work. Plastic cutlery may seem like the easy option, but it is incredibly detrimental to the environment. If you really don’t want to wash up a whole load of stuff in the small office sink – then use recyclable paper plates, and reusable plastic or metal cutlery. If you’ve only got cutlery to wash up, it’s a lot less hassle.
We hope these tips will help you lead a plastic-free christmas at work this year. If you’ve got any more tips on how to reduce your plastic use over the festive period, comment below.