What are single-use Items? 

Single-use items are products that are only used once before being thrown away or recycled, which has a damaging impact on the environment. These items include plastic cutlery, straws, plastic bags, coffee stirrers, plastic water bottles and most product packaging. In today’s blog post we’ll be talking about what you can do to reduce your use of single-use items.

According to Plastic Oceans, our planet produces more than 380 million tonnes of plastic each year, half of which are single use items. Petroleum based plastics are non-degradable, which means they will be added to landfills, floating around and polluting our oceans for thousands of years to come. 

How we play our part at Lyreco 

Here at Lyreco, we’re passionate about working together for tomorrow, and we believe in being responsible when it comes to our business’ impact on the environment, actively sourcing sustainably sourced and eco-friendly products so that you don’t have to.  

We also follow the waste hierarchy when it comes to waste management and try to encourage eliminating waste streams and reusing materials as much as possible, with 63% (1403 tonnes) of our waste being reused. More information around what we do internally, externally and in our local community can be found in our Single Use Plastic Policy. Learn more about our sustainability and environmental commitments here.

What you can do to reduce your use of Single-use Items:

We need to work together to combat plastic pollution from production, to consumption. If we don’t, by 2050 there will be more plastic in the oceans than fish! So, what can you do to play your part and help create a better future for tomorrow?  

Below you’ll find our top tips to help move away from single-use item consumerism: 

–  Carry reusable carrier bags; they’re more reliable! 

–  Refrain from using plastic bottles, straws and cutlery and provide alternatives in the workplace, such as our refillable water bottles, white paper straws and wooden cutlery.  

–  Be conscious when buying new products: are they sustainably sourced, can they be reused or recycled? 

–  Encourage your friends, family, and colleagues to use their own flasks instead disposable cups. 

–  Stop chewing gum – many well-known gum brands are made from synthetic polymer rubber, which like plastic, takes thousands of years to decompose. Gum contributes to around 100,000 tonnes of waste according to JustOneOcean.org. 

Single-use Alternatives 

Across the Lyreco Group we’re passionate about promoting more sustainable habits and demonstrating how easy it is to make a significant difference. We actively source more eco-friendly, recyclable products that have less impact on the environment – so you don’t have to. To see our full range of growing eco-friendly ‘green’ products, head on over to our easy-to-use web shop here. 

Follow us on our social media by clicking below, to be the first to hear about our latest news and blog posts.