QUITE often I hear from browsers in my little sustainable living shop that they are unsure where to begin.

There’s so much information it turns to overload. The switch to a more plastic-free life is overwhelming because of how pervasive plastic is in our lives and homes.

But we can all do something, whether it is one swap, or slowly going room-by-room and making your home green over the course of a year.

A brilliant Edmund Burke quote I heard recently applies nicely: “Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little.”

Reuse and refill as much as you can.

If you can use a plastic bottle over and over again it stops being single-use and is useful instead. We can’t undo what has already been bought, but we can make the most of it.

Where you can’t do that, switch away from plastic packaging.

If you love a fizzy drink choose recyclable cans rather than plastic bottles.
If you love ketchup on your chips they still do condiments in glass bottles.

Leave your car on the drive for one journey a week.

Pop to the shops on foot, bike to school, have your weekly shop delivered to your door instead of driving to the supermarket. It really can be liberating to have a car-free day!

When something runs or wears out, switch to a plastic-free version.

This way you’re not wasting what you already have and gives you time to look into what to replace it with.

Making small steps on your eco journey is vital. Not only does it mean you’re not completely overwhelmed and likely to revert to old ways and habits, it has the same way of building momentum like an avalanche, and is much kinder on the pocket.

Why not see if you can make just one change this week? Maybe your old toothbrush is on its last legs, or you’re about to run out of washing-up liquid and are going to refill rather than buy a new bottle.

Please feel free to pop into the My Carbon Coach shop along Station Road any time for a chat, advice, and a large range of sustainable living items.

Written by Tim Walker