As a private person

In the shop

• Bring your own bag, both a small netbag for fruits and veggies as well as a bigger cloth bag for all your groceries
• Favour products without plastic wraps
• Favour companies that are environmentally aware/certified
• Buy boxes instead of bottles (for example, washing detergents, juice) 
• Cut down on your consumption of goods that contain excessive plastic packaging and parts

As a parent 

• Use re-usable cloth diapers with your baby
• Buy re-usable food pouches for your baby´s purees
• Enlighten grand parents and friends that your child does not need 100 plastic toys for presents - instead, ask them to spend quality time with them

In the restaurant

• Say no to straws
• Bring your own keep cup for coffee
• Take along your own doggy bag  
• Favour "plastic friendly" brands

As a restaurant

Brand yourself as a plastic friendly restaurant!

Invent what you purchase and what actually gets used by your customers, from delivery and food preparation to storage and disposal. Include monthly order size and costs for plastic wraps, utensils, straws, to-go containers, cup lids and drink stirrers. 

Investigate alternatives and costs for each of these items. Ask some key questions: Is this item (i.e. coffee stirrers) necessary? Is it available in anything other than plastics?

• Invest in reusable food containers with lids for storing and preparing food
• Eliminate unnecessary disposable items, like straws, drink stirrers, toothpicks, and lids for cups, or make available upon request only 
• Come up with solutions with your to-go dishes! Use glass jars for salads or soups and offer a refund if the glass is returned, or an option to pay a deposit 
• Provide ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise etc. in self-serve, bulk dispensers  
• Use refillable containers made of glass, ceramic or stainless steel for salt and pepper, sugar, oil and vinegar, hot sauce etc.
• Put containers for stainless steel cutlery on tables or at a self-serve station
• Change your restaurant receipts to use BPA-free paper, or email receipts if requested

Implement changes

• Which items are still being requested?
• Establish staff policies, protocol and training (i.e. always ask customers, “Is this for here or to-go? Did you bring your own mug or container? Do you know about our discounts?”)

Educate Customers — Let them know about the plastic pollution problem and what you are doing to combat it

• Explain on your menus or on your wall that your business is committed to working in a plastic smart manner
• Offer financial incentives for customers who bring reusable cups, containers and utensils (5-10 cents off purchases of hot drinks, 25 cents for take-home containers)
• Ask them to spread the word via social media, community groups, local media etc. via the use of hash tags like #plasticsmart #plasticfree #thinkreusable

  ​