- Lets face it, plastic is like that crazy ex we can't seem to get rid of. They've created a huge mess for us to clean up and still manage to find ways of getting to us without us realizing. Being harmful to our health and our environment its time to block plastic and ex's from our life, moving forward. 

We’ve hit the halfway point though plastic free July and we have some tips!

PSA: Being sustainable is not about being perfect but about being aware & doing your best. If you are completing plastic free July and realize you have used/done one of these - don’t stress, you’re doing amazing sweetie!

1. Disposable coffee cups are not recyclable!
   Coffee cups are lined with plastic in order to keep the hot (or cold) liquid from absorbing into the cup and leaking. Every year 500 billion single-use plastic cups are used with 14 million tons of plastic ending up in our oceans. A cute keep cup is your new bestie, we recommend glass or stainless steel (or BPA free plastic).
   
   
2. Reusing plastic water bottles leeches BPA* & chemicals into your water which are toxic and harmful to your health and hormones! Same applies for heating plastic cups/bottles and coffee cups too!
   Still re-using plastic? Don’t stress - we have some beautiful double walled, fully insulated “emotional support bottles” by Sinclo (HERE).
   Sustainably & Ethically made from food grade stainless steel which means they are made to last and won't leach harmful chemicals into your beverages.
   Locally made and manufactured by a Gold Coast couple.
   
   
3. Synthetic fibers (yes, also recycled/ repurposed synthetic fibers) shed micro plastics!
   Washing machine filters aren’t small enough to catch the micro plastics so they end up in our oceans as waste – micro plastics are extremely harmful to sea animals and is one of the biggest contributors to the decline of our ocean biodiversity.
   Always check your care label: for more information abut what fibers/fabrics are sustainable, download our free fashion sustainability e-book. (HERE).
   
   
4. Receipts are not recyclable!
   93% of all receipts printed in Australia are coated with toxic bisphenol-A (BPA) and bisphenol-S (BPS). These harmful endocrine-disrupting chemicals are toxic to us and our environment.
   Approximately 1.5 million trees, 249 billion liters of water, and 4.5 billion liters of oil were used to produce a year’s worth of paper receipts in Australia... Just say no to a receipt!
   
   
5. Tea Bags…
   I do apologies for being the bearer of bad news but you’d probably like to know that most tea bags contain up to 25% plastic.
   Canadian researchers published (THIS) study in the American Chemical Society’s Journal of Environmental Science and Technology which discovered: steeping just one single tea bag at brewing temperature releases 11.6 billion minuscule particles (aka micro plastics) and 3.1 billion nano plastics into each cup – how delicious!
   Drink up or swap to organic, sustainably sourced, high quality loose leaf teas! 

 BPA: Bisphenol A: a chemical used in the lining of some food and beverage packaging in order to protect “food” from contamination and extend shelf life. (If you ask us, it seems BPA isn’t protecting our food from contamination its contaminating it…)