Whilst a certain politician thinks the environment isn’t worth bothering with for him and ‘his country’, I have been both shocked and ashamed to learn of the damage plastic waste is doing to our oceans.

Towards the end of last year, I began to make small changes in my buying and usage behaviour and aim to continue this as we move into a new year.

Reducing plastic waste is easier in some areas than others.

Wherever possible, I’ve bought fruit or veg loose and stuck them straight into my shopping bag (I tend to use the zapper, so I can pack it up as I shop). There are lots of fruit and veg that don’t come with that option though.

• I’ve ditched shower gel in favour of soap and the brand I buy, comes packaged in a box without any plastic film.
• I have a reusable coffee cup – and I get 25 pence off my coffee for using this!
• I make my own bread.
• I have two drawers full of plastic pots of all sizes for storing food and snacks. And yes, they are plastic, but as I have owned them for a long time now, there isn’t much I can do about that and I use them instead of clingfilm, which is a single use plastic.
• The children always use a refillable water bottle and I make sure they remember to take it wherever they go.

This approach whilst small scale, is at least a step in the right direction, but it led me to think I could perhaps be more environmentally conscious and consider sustainability and carbon footprint in my future purchases. So as 2018 begins, as well as being inspired by a cookbook I received for Christmas, I’m trying out a weekly veg box. Well, it’s actually veg, fruit and meat. This means we will be eating seasonal, as well as locally grown and ethically sourced produce. It also means less packaging (I hope).

Due to being dairy and wheat free (along with my son), I’ve always tended to make my own bread and snacks, but it fell by the wayside towards the end of 2017, as life became busier and more hectic. This, I’ve vowed, is something I need to get back on track and I’ve involved my children in this one. They are all keen helpers in the kitchen and at almost eleven and fourteen, the girls are more than capable of making something by themselves. They’ve agreed to help keep up supplies of healthy versions of their favourite snacks. My son likes to bake too, but at nine, he still needs some supervision. I think between us though, we can help make sure I don’t need to resort to buying biscuits and cereal bars to satisfy the needs of a growing family (believe me, when there’s five of you, you don’t half go through some food in a week).

Perhaps there’s more we can do, but for now we’re taking steps that are achievable for all of us.

Are you going through similar changes within your family? What steps are you taking to reduce your plastic waste?