Plastic is a serious hazard to our oceans and the animals that call it home. It may be close to impossible to avoid plastic altogether, but we can each make a positive impact as individuals.
Here are five ways to help you travel plastic free and carry the habit back home.
Our oceans are choking on plastic. Each year more than 8 millions tonnes of plastic ends up in our oceans, and if we continue, by 2050 there will be more pieces of plastic in the ocean than fish. Not only does plastic harm marine life, kill animals, and pollute our water, it eventually finds its way up the food chain and onto our plates.
1. Reusable Drinks Bottle
Investing in a reusable water bottle is an easy way we can each contribute to solving the plastic problem. Today, many airports have water stations and attendants will happily refill your container when onboard your flight, so there’s no need to stock up on bottled water at Duty-Free.
We know it can be trickier to use a water bottle at your destination if tap water isn’t safe to drink. Where possible, try to order water in glass bottles or aluminium cans; unlike plastic bottles these are usually 100% recyclable.
Back home, your water bottle is ideal for remembering to get your recommended eight glasses of water per day. We prefer the aluminium water bottles that work for both hot and cold beverages – perfect for your on-the-go morning coffee
Did you know?
The Pavilions Bali and The Pavilions Phuket resorts offer recyclable water bottles and complimentary drinking water to help you stay hydrated throughout your stay.
2. Say No to Plastic Bags
Worldwide, we use over 2 million plastic bags per minute. Each of those bags can take up to 500 years to decompose. Say no to plastic bags and opt for a tote bag instead. Perfect for the beach or shopping for souvenirs, a tote is much more environmentally friendly, not to mention stylish. Even when you’re not travelling, from popping to the store to carrying odd bits and pieces, a tote is the perfect accessory for your holiday and beyond.
Did you know?
At The Pavilions Bali and The Pavilions Phuket resorts you’ll find a tote bag in your room ready to use for all your needs. Made out of natural, local fibres, each bag is perfect for hitting the shops or the beach.
3. Take Care with Toiletries
Many of the top skin and hair care brands offer packaging-free or glass travel containers so you can avoid plastic travel toiletries. All Pavilions Asia resorts provide soap and shampoo dispensers instead of the traditional mini-bottles (in most hotels these bottles are usually discarded after each guest). Our Himalayas resort even has biodegradable soaps and shampoos created from local herbs on-site at the resort. Made with 100% natural ingredients, these natural toiletries are designed not to upset the delicate ecosystem of the area.
Did you know?
Swapping out your regular plastic toothbrush for a bamboo one is an easy way to cut down on your plastic. Bamboo is an environmentally sustainable material and naturally resistant to bacteria, it grows fast and replenishes quickly. You’ll find bamboo toothbrushes waiting for you in our eco-resort at The Pavilions Himalayas. Imagine just how many toothbrushes you’ve used and thrown away in your lifetime, and the good you could do by switching to bamboo.
4. Go Straw Free
Say ‘no’ to the straw whenever you order a drink. The ultimate single-use plastic, straws are a massive source of plastic pollution and many hotels and restaurants are beginning to implement policies where they only supply a straw when you specifically ask for one. If you really can’t live without your straw, you could carry a paper, glass, bamboo, or stainless steel one with you to meet your needs and keep the plastic out of our oceans.
Did you know?
All The Pavilions Hotels in Asia have a plastic straw-free policy, part of our commitment to minimise plastic waste.
5. Stay at an Eco Resort
Eco resorts aim to reduce their carbon footprint while giving back to the surrounding community and are an ideal choice for the ecologically-minded traveller. The eco-resort is the perfect way to enjoy a vacation and live up to your values towards the environment in a more positive way than the majority of places you could stay.
Did you know?
The Pavilions Himalayas is the group’s first eco-resort. The resort runs entirely on solar power, while maintaining the highest levels of comfort and luxury, and almost all building materials are locally sourced. Each villa has its own water supply harvested onsite, and water is innovatively reused and recycled after your showers for bathroom flushing and in the surrounding wetlands. The resort has an organic farm, and everything is harvested onsite straight to your plate, or supplied from surrounding farms to keep imports to a minimum. Biogas from the farm is even used to power the kitchen.
To do your part to help stop the flow of plastics into the ocean, give some of these tips a try.
What other ways do you try and go plastic-free at home or when travelling?