Tips for reducing plastic in your everyday life

Illustration by Lisa Lodge

PRODUCED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH DOLE

Reducing plastic is one of the simplest ways to lessen your footprint on the planet, and Dole is one brand focusing on minimising its own plastic waste to lighten its impact on the world. 

As part of The Dole Promise, the company has made a commitment to move towards eliminating fossil fuel-based plastic packaging by 2025 – and in its first step toward achieving this goal, has updated its Bobby Bananas from a plastic bag to a new, smaller plastic tape.

This change alone means that Dole is preventing approximately 16 tonnes of plastic from going into landfill in New Zealand each year; a number that can be reduced further via recycling, with Dole also having become a member of the Soft Plastics Recycling Scheme.

Take your Bobby Banana straps and other soft plastics to any participating drop off point and FuturePost will turn them into useful items like vegetable garden frames and fence posts. 

Bobby Banana’s packaging update is just one step on the journey to achieving The Dole Promise, with the Promise also focusing on providing nutrition to 1 billion people, reducing fruit loss, and working towards carbon neutrality in its operations by 2030.

Creating change requires collective action, and Dole encourages Kiwis to recycle and reduce their plastic consumption where possible to make a difference.

Here are some easy tips for reducing plastic in your everyday life:

1. Choose toilet paper that is not wrapped in plastic.
   
2. Swap your plastic toothbrush for a bamboo one.
   
3. Shop at your local farmers’ market for fresh bread and produce and take your own bags of course.
   
4. Eat the ice cream cone and say no to the single-use tub and spoon.
   
5. Solid shampoo and conditioner bars are great for the hair and environment.
   
6. Switch to bar soap instead of liquid soap. Or if you can’t give up the liquid soap, visit a refill station.
   
7. Say no to disposable cutlery.
   
8. Use wash cloths made from natural fibres instead of synthetic sponges and cloths that send microfibres down the sink.
   
9. Use beeswax wraps instead of plastic wrap. 
   
10. Refill your existing plastic bottles at refill stations. 
    
11. Remember your reusable cup; and if you forget it, consider taking time out for yourself and getting your caffeine fix at the café instead.
    
12. If you love smoothies, carry a stainless steel straw in your handbag and, even better, take your own reusable vessel with you. 
    
13. Take a reusable water bottle with you wherever you go. 
    
14. Pack your fruit in reusable and washable fabric bags at the supermarket. Keep these bags in your car with your reusable shopping bags so you don’t forget them.
    
15. Keep a reusable container at work, take it with you to the food court on your lunch break and ask vendors to fill it instead.