I went plastic free for a week and this is how it went

The news is full of stories surrounding the impact single-use plastic has on our world. During my plastic-free week it was announced that the European Parliament has banned single use plastics, and will have banned products such as plastic straws, cutlery and plates by 2021. This is a massive deal, and whilst we use plastic momentarily, it remains on this earth for hundreds of years, breaking down into really tiny pieces.

So, I decided to set myself the challenge of going single-use plastic free for a week. While seven days may not seem like long, it was. But I made it though and I'm here to tell the tale.

Here’s what I kept in my rucksack for the week:

– A cotton bag, which I actually got free from uni and is perfect for food shops and other last-minute purchases

– Another bag, just in case

– A metal bottle, which I always refill with water throughout the day and it keeps my drink super cold – honestly a life changer

– A flask, as I’m not usually a hot drink kind of person but during these colder months I do like to treat myself to the odd hot choc

– A metal knife and fork, so I can avoid those flimsy plastic ones

– A metal straw, as although most places have ditched the plastic straws for paper ones, they go soggy in about two seconds

– A glass jar, just in case I decided to buy something whilst in town

Monday

I headed to my local Co-op at home on Sunday night, and struggled. Practically everything was covered in plastic, and that’s when it hit me how hard this was really going to be.

Breakfast

I picked up two pains au chocolat from the bakery section, and put them in paper bags instead of the plastic ones. Not the healthiest of breakfasts, but they'll do.

Lunch

As a vegetarian, I am a massive fan of Linda McCartney and her vegetarian range. Even more so this week, as all of her frozen food is in cardboard boxes that can be recycled. So for lunch i made the quarter pounder "beef" burgers and then made chips from a potato I bought individually. I also used a bun from the bakery section.

Dinner

Okay, so for dinner I may have cheated slightly and gone out for food (still technically plastic free). I did have an amazing pizza from Bella Italia though, and made sure to stick to the tap water. Cheap and plastic free.

Tuesday

Breakfast

Another pain au chocolat, I should probably try and find a healthier option.

Lunch

I struggled with this as I was travelling on trains all day, however the trusty Doncaster station pulled through and I fulfilled my hunger with a veggie patty from Subway, wrapped in paper. However, I had to keep this in my bag so I could clean it and recycle it when I got home.

Dinner

The second Linda McCartney burger with chips once again (slightly repetitive).

In the evening I went shopping to find food for the next few days. Sainsbury's in Jesmond had absolutely nothing to offer, so I headed to Tesco to find the exact same problem. After losing a lot of faith and almost giving up on, I decided to see if Waitrose had anything, and I was not disappointed. Although they had practically nothing left in the bakery section, they had one pain au chocolat, so yes you guessed it, that was breakfast sorted.

I also needed to get a mixer for pre drinks that night, and struggled as most drinks are in plastic bottles, however found a posh cordial that was £2.50 (cries) but it was in a glass bottle with a metal lid, so I decided it was worth it.

I bought some other bits, and managed to find some Linda McCartney veggie sausages after searching high and low in all three shops. I made sure to use the paper mushroom bags to bag my veg in instead of the plastic ones, and headed home, happy with my successful shop.

Wednesday

Breakfast

Pain au chocolat and a banana.

I decided to check out Grainger Market and I was pleasantly surprised. There are loads of fruit and veg stalls, and whilst there were lots of plastic bags to wrap your produce in, I simply avoided these and used my own bags and containers. I managed to buy some bread wrapped in paper from a bakery shop, and there was also a bulk buy shop, that had everything from Cheerios to hot chocolate powder and everything was so cheap! I will definitely be returning.

Lunch

Jacket potato with canned spaghetti, nutritious.

Dinner

Veggie sausages with carrots and broccoli, surprisingly very tasty.

Thursday

Breakfast

Toast and jam.

I had heard about a fair trade shop in the church next to Haymarket where you could fill up your washing up liquid. While a bit hidden, there were massive tubs at the back of the shop filled with washing up liquid that were just £1.50 per litre! I can’t believe that I never knew this existed, it’s so cheap and so good for the environment. You could also fill up on fabric conditioner and laundry liquid, such a clever idea and definitely worth checking out!

Lunch

Veggie sausage, bun and a banana.

Dinner

Leek and potato soup, sooo yum. I bought the potato and leek from the market, and just added vegetable stock and butter, super easy!

Friday

Breakfast

Toast and jam – easy.

Lunch

Soup and toast.

Dinner

Veggie sausages with broccoli and carrots – again.

Today I struggled as I ran out of deodorant and I didn't want to buy one with a plastic lid. I decided to use Lush to my advantage, and although it is rather pricey, there was so much choice and I was able to buy a bar of deodorant wrapped in paper.

Saturday

Breakfast

Toast and jam, again.

Lunch

I had a jacket potato with tinned chopped tomatoes and kidney beans, however I couldn’t have butter or cheese so it definitely lacked flavour, but I’d rate it 6/10.

Dinner

Tonight, I had the task of cooking for my family. I decided to make cottage pie, as I could get the ingredients at Grainger Market. It was pretty cheap to do too! Everyone seemed to enjoy it, and I made myself veggie sausages and mash.

Sunday

Breakfast/lunch

Possibly cheating again, as I went out for brunch at 1901 in Jesmond (delicious) and it made a nice difference to the usual toast and jam.

Dinner

Soup and toast. My final plastic free meal, and I can't help but feel slightly relieved (but also kinda sad.)

There's so many plastic free alternatives available, it’s just about going out there and finding them! I've definitely become aware of how much plastic I invested in every single day, and am now more conscious about avoiding single use plastic as much as possible. We're all guilty of throwing things away and not considering where they are actually going to end up or how long they will last on this earth, so it is definitely something worth considering.

Being plastic free really wasn't that hard or scary, so ditch your carrier bags and give it a go!