Ocean Protection Through Plastic-Free Living
When you first start off on your plastic-free journey, it can seem daunting. But I like to tell newbies to eliminate before finding replacements. Here are 10 things I stopped buying when I started living plastic-free.
Traditional band aids and ointments are made with plastic and packaged in plastic. To avoid some of that extra plastic, here are some plastic-free options to first aid kit essentials.
Last Updated November 5, 2021
Our bodies are up to 60% water, so staying hydrated is important for our bodies to function at its best. Depending on where you live, your tap water could be the best mineral water drawn from a local spring. Or it could smell like a swimming pool. My water in the San Francisco Bay Area smells like chlorine and doesn’t taste the best.
Before going plastic-free, I used Brita filters and sent the filter cartridges to recycling through their recycling program. I didn’t love that the filters came wrapped in a plastic bag and that the filters cartridges themselves were plastic.
Now, I filter my water using a charcoal stick.
A charcoal stick is created by heating wood to a very high temperature to carbonize the wood. During this process millions of pores are opened up. With these open pores the charcoal captures other carbon-based impurities like chlorine.
Most common water filters uses some charcoal. If you’re ever noticed the black specks that come out of a Brita filter, that’s activated charcoal.
To filter water, you simply place the charcoal stick in a pitcher of water and wait for a 4 – 6 hours.
Here’s a quick video:
These charcoal sticks last 4 months. To keep it in the best condition, each month, you want to boil it in water for 10 minutes to release impurities. Toss the water after you’ve finished boiling and allow the charcoal stick to fully dry before using it again. After 4 months of use you can toss the charcoal stick into the compost or use it to deodorize your refrigerator!
I buy the Kishu Charcoal brand charcoal sticks. The size shown above is their regular size. They also come in a small size for personal water bottles and a larger size for jugs of water.
You can find them on Amazon but I like to buy my charcoal sticks directly from Kishu Charcoal so I know they are 100% plastic-free. Their packaging is plastic-free but they will also ship it to you in a plastic-free box or mailer bag.
Finally, if you’re curious, I got my glass carafes at Target but you can also find liter-size glass carafes on Amazon.
I bought a set of glass carafes for my daughter’s nearly plastic-free birthday party last year.
What do you think? Are you interested in trying a charcoal stick filter?
For related and random posts, check out:
I’ve been saving my trash in a “plastic audit” since October of last year. While I live a generally plastic-free lifestyle, I’m not 100% plastic free…yet. So, in an effort to get rid of the last 1% I review my trash each month.
It’s estimated that the US alone produces 2 billion disposable plastic razors each year. To avoid some of that waste here are some easy plastic-free options for hair removal.