If you didn’t know already, Caracal is dedicated to promoting sustainability and environmental responsibility. We strive to keep our streets, oceans, and the whole Earth beautiful, so that we can continue to supply you with superior products and services for a long time. That’s why this month, we are participating in Plastic-Free July, a month-long initiative to find solutions to plastic pollution. Our employees are challenging themselves to refuse single-use plastic wherever they can.

Caracal knows that in this busy, fast-paced world, it can be difficult to slow down and carve out time to greenify our lives. This is why we have compiled a few quick tips to help you reduce single-use plastic consumption (and be greener as a whole!)

Not only are these tips helpful to reduce plastic usage, but many of them are money-saving and health-conscious as well!

Food Storage – skip plasticware and zip-seal bags by switching to glass, stainless steel, or silicon food storage solutions. They are dishwasher-safe, easy to clean, often microwaveable, and made to last. There are also health benefits: no need to worry about microplastics in your food! Our employees suggest:

• Mason jars with wide mouths: common, cheap, and can store nearly any kind of food or drink
• “Bento” boxes: compartmentalized meal containers/lunch boxes, often equipped with reusable silverware
• Silicon food preservers: stretchy silicon lids or zipper bags to store open cans, jars, cut fruit, and veggies
• Reusable cups: insulated mugs and cups will keep your drinks hot or cold for hours

Water Filtration – reduce the number of plastic water bottles going into landfills and improve your health. (Or, if it’s safe in your area – just drink tap water!) Our employees suggest:

• Personal filtering water bottles (enough for just one person): portable and refillable at any water dispenser.
• Standalone pitchers and containers (for the family): holds one to several gallons of water at a time and can be stored on the counter or in the fridge – easily fill glasses from pour spouts or spigots.
• Under-sink systems (permanent fixture installation): filters water as it comes out of the faucet – the most expensive commitment, but also the most cost-effective long-term; filters only need changed once or twice a year, and the system will last a lifetime.
• Fridge built-ins: if your fridge already has one, it’s the easiest way to transition to reusable water bottles

Shopping and Home Goods – many home goods and cleaning products are available in non-liquid formats to reduce plastic. Additionally, plastic bags aren’t easy to recycle, so reuse them or avoid them entirely. Our employees suggest:

Solid detergents and soaps: space-saving, concentrated, and without pesky plastic packaging. You can find items like soap, laundry detergent, shampoo, and dishwasher detergent in formats like bars, powders, sheets, and pods, all packaged in eco-friendly cardboard. (Also check out refill pods; fill your favorite cleaning sprays over and over by adding concentrate pods into bottles you already have)

Canvas tote bags: stronger, more spacious, and longer-lasting than plastic shopping sacks. And a bonus – they are often given away as freebies and swag, so they’re super easy to collect! Caracal hopes that although this is only a month-long challenge, it will turn into a lifetime of good habits, and we encourage you to join us! If you’re interested in non-plastic focused ways to improve an Earth-conscious lifestyle, check out the sustainably sourced and produced paper towels and toilet paper from 1 Kind World, a brand co-owned by Caracal and Outlook Nebraska. https://www.caracalcorp.com/products/consumable/

Happy Plastic-Free July!