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While recycling is a big part of doing good for our planet, reducing consumption is even more impactful. And there’s no more important category of waste to reduce than single-use plastic.
Single-use plastic includes products such as straws, bags, and bottles; pretty much any plastic item that’s made for temporary use.
Did you know it takes 450 years for a plastic bottle to break down?
We’ve put together some ideas to help you reduce the amount of plastic used in early years settings:
Use plastic-free stationery supplies
Look out for stationery that comes in plastic-free packaging, such as single pencils, erasers and pens. You may not associate it with plastic, but many pencils have a plastic coating, so look for 100% plastic-free pencils.
When it comes to paper, there’s a lot of potential to reduce waste.
Children use a huge amount of paper – drawing paper, toilet paper and paper they wipe they hands with – if all of these things are recycled or chlorine-free then it can make a big difference.
Choose plastic-free display options
Adding laminate to paper makes it a lot harder to recycle and biodegrade. Place card or paper notices in reusable plastic pockets for temporary protection, then you can take them out of the pockets and replace them with new displays when needed.
Encourage less plastic at snack and lunchtimes
Ban plastic straws, plates and cups. Clingfilm and plastic wrappers cannot currently be widely recycled in the UK, so encourage families who provide lunches to wrap sandwiches in foil or reusable beeswax wraps, and switch yoghurt pots to fruit in a reusable storage container.
Tea and coffee
Instead of having milk delivered in plastic bottles, try to source milk delivered in returnable and reusable glass bottles. Many tea bags have plastic in them, so try to find tea bag brands that use eco-friendly materials.
Educate children about plastic waste
Education really is key, so ensure you discuss the importance of recycling with your children. Teach children what recycling means, which materials can be recycled and how to recycle everyday products. You can also encourage them to consider how plastic can damage the environment and what choices they can make to help to reduce this damage.
Refillable products for early years settings
makes a range of washing products especially for pre-school and primary school children and they are on a mission to help everyone be more sustainable and thoughtful about their plastic use.
They use 50% recycled plastic in their bottles and they can be refilled from easy-to-pour refill pouches.
Scrubbingtons Bug Off foam hand sanitiser has been specifically developed for children with no harsh alcohol. It is designed to keep younger skin safe without stinging or leaving kids with chapped hands. It is proven to be just as effective as alcohol-based products, tested to kill 99.9% of bacteria and viruses, without the harsh effects of alcohol. And the foam means it is less messy than liquid soaps, it lasts twice as long - and children love it.
The 500ml bottle with pump is ideal for classrooms and early years settings.
For a 20% discount on all products go to the and use the discount code.
Or to discuss further discounts for early years settings please email katie@scrubbingtons.com
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