Plastic free July

Enjoy a plastic-free picnic

July was plastic-free month, as well as national picnic month. The Council’s Waste and Recycling service has shared their top tips for a plastic-free picnic.

Use a reusable water bottle

You can buy these for varying costs and sizes, some even keep your drinks cool all day. There is a UK wide Refill app which will tell you where you can refill your water bottle for free.

Did you know? According to the Bottled Water Association 3,200,000,000 litres of bottled water are sold in the UK every year.

Buy big to share

Snacks are a must for most peoples' picnics. Buy a large bag, such as crisps, to share and cut down on the number of smaller bags used. A great alternative can be to make your own popcorn - use a large pan with butter and oil, add your corn with some exciting flavours and serve in reusable containers.

If you prefer other drinks to water, a good way to reduce plastic bottle use is to buy one big bottle to share and pour into reusable cups on the day. Recycling your big bottle is easy, just give it a rinse, squash it as much as you can and pop the lid back on before popping it in the recycling bin/box.

Pack your picnic the reusable way

• Use a backpack, cool bag or picnic basket as an alternative to plastic shopping bags.
• Use long life containers - cling film can't be recycled. Store your food in reusable containers such as bamboo or metal boxes and in food wax wraps.
• Take a thermal flask and a reusable hot drinks cup to drink your coffee or tea from.
• Choose reusable straws - metal or bamboo are popular and these can be used for life.
• Opt for long life plastic plates - they are lightweight to carry and can be reused every time.
• Take your steel cutlery - they are easy to wash and nicer to use than disposable plastic cutlery.

Prepare

Enjoy playing traditional games - pack a bag with summer games in that you take to avoid buying additional cheap plastic toys on each day out.

Buy local and unwrapped - the more you can make from scratch the better. Put a loaf of bread in a reusable bag from the bakers, buy sandwich fillings from the deli counter or pies from the butchers in your own containers. Make a tasty salad with loose vegetables from the greengrocer or supermarket. A little bit of effort will make a very tasty picnic, if you have children – get them involved in preparing and packing the food.

Information sources

• Refill
• Bottled Water Association

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