Plastic Free Poole - Business Champion

I recently got my first business award and I wanted to share it with you!

This isn't one of those "business of the year etc" award. To me this award means so much more. I didn't need to beat anyone or attend any fancy award dinners to receive it (which neither of which are me at all!) and any other local businesses can apply for one. If you are a local Poole business I want to encourage you to do just that, which is why I have written this blog.

Plastic free Poole 

3 small changes towards becoming plastic free

The first thing that I needed to do was complete a plastic audit of my business. What single use plastic do I use? Now, I am already very conscious of plastic waste and I have always kept single use plastic to a minimum right from the beginning. However, upon completing this, it brought some items to my attention that I had not particularly thought about before. I began to think how I could either get rid of these or make a swap for non plastic. For me, most of my single use plastic comes from packaging when I send out my photographs to my clients. I started off with the following 3 swaps:

1. I was sending my larger photographic prints to my clients in plastic print bags. I decided to trial sending some single prints out just as they are in card envelopes, and sets of prints wrapped up in tissue paper. I was concerned that they might get scratched, but I was informed by my clients that they were indeed fine. 

2.   Parcel tape. This was such a simple swap , one that I could not believe I have not done before! I use a lot of plastic parcel tape as every package that I send to my clients arrives inside a postal box that I tape up. It was so simple swapping to paper parcel tape. It is actually stronger, looks nicer and can of course by recycled!

3.  Chocolate camera packaging. Again, I was using plastic bags for these. I go through quite a lot so it was concerning the amount of plastic that was ending up in the bin. I have now swapped to paper sweetie bags that I pop them into and seal with a paper sticker.

It was a little odd receiving an award from Rosie from Oceans to Earth during the Covid-19 pandemic. We managed a long socially distanced chat and a lovely photograph taken by my son. What better place to meet than at Baiter, just opposite from where I live and a place that my family and I love to do beach cleans.

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Whilst I have already achieved my award. I am not 100% free of single use plastic just yet and I need your help!  Do you have any ideas what I could replace disposable puppy pads/ bed mats with? They need to be very absorbent, thin and plain (not bright colours) as I use them underneath my fabrics that I put babies onto when they are not wearing a nappy. 

Would you like to become a plastic free business champion for Poole?

Go Pladdle are working with Surfers Against Sewage to aim to make Poole a plastic free community. They still need more Poole based businesses to apply to become plastic free before they can achieve this. You can find out more by visiting the Surfers Against Sewage website.

If you do not have your own business , you can still help out. Every single change or plastic swap helps the environment. Wouldn't it be amazing if everyone who read this article committed to make 3 swaps, imagine the impact that would have? What plastic can you get rid of or swap in your life?