Make these six easy swaps … and be kinder to our planet
It’s easy to be in auto-pilot when we shop, even when you know you should make a change. But there are a few really easy swaps you can make in your weekly shopping and daily habits, that will help save the planet. Do you already do some of them? Read on to find out.
We were proud to take a stand in 2017 when we phased out plastic shopping bags ahead of the Tasmanian government’s ban on them. So far these measures have saved about 9 million plastic shopping bags going into landfill. It’s great to see our blue canvas bags being used by almost all our customers, and we have even spotted some on the mainland where they have been used as extra hand luggage on flights or even as beach bags!
Here are some other easy swaps you can make which go a long way to keeping single use plastic packaging out of our environment.
1. Swap milk in plastic bottles for milk on tap in refillable glass bottles
We now have Bream Creek milk on tap at our Sandy Bay, Dodges Ferry and Blackmans Bay stores, and Ashgrove milk on tap at our Devonport and Longford stores. Just purchase and fill up a glass bottle at the store and then bring back your clean bottle to refill next time.
The milk is full cream, pasteurised, and non-homogenised (meaning that the cream will rise to the top when left to stand).
The pricing is competitive – purchase a glass bottle for $2 and your Ashgrove milk will cost $2.40 for 750ml, $2.85 for 1L and $5.50 for 2L. Bream Creek costs $2.50 for 750ml and $2.90 for 1L.
2. Swap laundry liquid and dishwasher powder in plastic bottles for cardboard packaged ones or better still, buy them by weight using your own containers
We sell unpackaged laundry liquid, dishwasher powder and several other household cleaning products by weight at our Sandy Bay store, where you can bring in your own container to refill. Otherwise, choose washing powder and dishwasher tablets which are packaged in biodegradable cardboard cartons.
By the way, we sell oil, honey and all sorts of nuts and wholegrains by weight in our Sandy Bay store also. So next time you’re there, fill up your pantry containers!
3. Swap bottled plastic water bottles for your own water bottle
We are lucky enough to have some of the purest tap water in the world. Get yourself a nice drink bottle from Hill Street Home and refill it with fresh clean Tassie tap water!
4. Swap takeaway coffee cups for keep cups
With so many lovely designs available at Hill Street Home, it makes your morning coffee all the more enjoyable to know you are not contributing to the mountain of non-biodegradable and non-recyclable coffee cups in landfill.
5. Swap a plastic produce bag for a paper one for your fruit and veg
And for things that need to go into a plastic bag, we do have bio-degradable plastic bags in all our produce departments too. This initiative has saved 1.2 million plastic produce bags from going into landfill since 2019.
6. Choose bars of soap rather than hand soap in a plastic dispenser bottle
Or refill your own hand soap dispenser from our bulk supply at Hill Street Sandy Bay.
While we offer all these alternatives in our stores, it’s always our customers’ choice. Make changes you are comfortable with and see what works for you and your household. It’s the small steps, taken by many, which make the difference.
