1. Canvas totes/eco-bags/dry bags instead of plastic bags
When buying items from markets, groceries, sari-sari stores or while doing your souvenir shopping, refuse the extra packaging by bringing your own canvas, eco bags or drawstring bags. You can use basically any tote or canvas bag, but some companies like Just Go offer drawstring bags with inspirational travel quotes for a more personalized touch.
Dry bags, which are useful for keeping gadgets waterproof while you’re on a trip, can also double as your laundry bag for wet clothes instead of plastic bags and keep items from leaking all over your luggage on the way home.
2. Reusable bottles instead of single-use
Plastic bottles for water, juice and softdrinks are not easily recycled and often end up in the landfills. Shifting to a reusable bottle will help lessen overall plastic wastage and can save you some cash from single-use bottled water.
Bring an empty water bottle like those from Nalgene and just fill it from a drinking fountain when you get to the airport. Whenever you eat out at a restaurant, you can ask for extra water and ice and easily refill your bottle or tumlber.
3. Collapsible cup
How many times have you bought taho, fruit shakes or halo-halo from a stall only to toss the plastic cup in the trash afterwards without a second thought? For beach trips and picnics, plastic cups are usually just passed around for softdrinks and beer. Or how about all those stopovers at Starbucks to keep you awake on the road?
An eco-friendlier option is to dine it at cafes that use mugs and glasses instead of taking out the drinks packaged in plastic cups. Or you could make it a habit to bring your own reusable tumbler or collapsible travel cup, which isn’t as bulky as your regular water bottle. Eco-Heroes offers Collapsible Coffee Cups (P350) made of BPA-free silicone that can hold up to 350ml, -50C to 200C, making it ideal for both hot or cold drinks.
The cup has a lid with a mouth seal plus a cup sleeve, making it compact, sturdy, and spill-proof. It also comes with its own Scabric Pouch (made from scrap fabrics).
4. Reusable straws
Single-use plastic straws make up a big chunk of the world's plastic waste. They aren't recyclable and can take over 200 years to break down. Most of these end up in the ocean, endangering marine life.
When dining out at restaurants or ordering drinks, the easiest thing to do is just refuse the plastic straw. If a straw is really needed to drink a beverage, it helps if you just bring around your own reusable straw.
Different brands offer reusable straws made of various materials from bamboo, glass, metal and silicone. Sip’s bestselling classic set (P120) has one thin metal straw for soft drinks and juices while the Duo set (P200) has the classic straw and another one for shakes and milk tea. Both sets come with a cleaning brush and canvas pouch.
5. Refillable toiletry containers instead of single-use sachets
Those who want to travel light just usually buy sachets of shampoo, small packets of soap, toothpaste and other toiletries for convenience. Unfotunately, low-value single-use sachets are usually collected by waste pickers and usually end up in landfills, littering the beaches and streets or as marine debris.
You actually save more in the long run by buying bigger bottles of shampoo, tubes of toothpaste, lotion and more. But since you can’t hand-carry large amounts of liquid when you travel, just make use of small reusable containers and fill them up with your favorite shampoo, lotions, moisturizers, and other toiletries. You can also just keep refilling mini shampoo bottles you get from hotels to bring on future trips.
