Easy Eco Swaps For A Greener Picnic

Now summer is officially here, our appetite for an afternoon sitting in the sun on our favourite picnic blanket with some delicious snacks has increased tenfold.

But unfortunately, this fun summer activity is usually accompanied by unnecessary single-use plastics creating a mound of rubbish destined for landfill.

We challenge you to ditch the plastic this summer and check out these earth-friendly eco-swaps, so you can have a greener picnic.

Swap Your Utensils

The Australian Marine Conservation Society ranks plastic cutlery as the second most dangerous plastic rubbish, right after fishing nets. This is one of the most harmful plastics for sea turtles, birds, and marine animals as they are sharp, highly likely to be contaminated, and commonly found in our waterways.

Marine life mistakes them for food, leading to a painful and needless death. Less than half of plastic utensils thrown away are recycled! This cutlery waste isn’t only dangerous but completely unnecessary; a reusable travel cutlery set is the perfect solution.

The third most dangerous plastic is straws (and drink stirrers), a notorious ocean animal killer. As straws are very lightweight and easily blown away, they find themselves in waterways and flow straight into the ocean. They cause serious injuries when they get stuck in marine animals' noses or airways.

Over 4 billion plastic straws are thrown away every year in the UK alone! Instead, choose a reusable alternative and support the change you wish to see.

Check out our bamboo picnic cutlery set, which contains a fork, knife, spoon, a pair of chopsticks, a straw and a brush with a cloth carrying/storage bag to keep your set tidy - perfect for summer picnics.

Wrap Sustainably

When you want to keep your sandwiches, snacks, and treats fresh on the way to the picnic, ditch the cling film and choose a beeswax wrap instead.

We go through a lot of plastic wraps each year, to be specific, around 1.2 billion metres (745,000 miles) of cling film across the UK; this means enough plastic to go around the earth 30 times over ends up in landfill each year!

Beeswax wraps, on the other hand, can be reused again and again... and again! Bees have provided us with nature's gummy adhesive; it’s incredibly handy. Simply warm the wrap in your hands, then wrap around your choice of food; cheese, sandwiches, fruit or vegetables. So stop throwing away empty plastic bags, and instead, choose these chemical-free and daily reusable eco wraps.

If you don’t have a picnic basket, instead of wrapping your fruits and vegetables in a plastic bag, choose reusable produce bags! Made from durable, unbleached organic cotton, these bags will last you a lifetime, rather than a single shopping trip.

Eat Green

The endless meal deals from the supermarkets are generating nearly 11 billion items of packaging waste per year in Britain. So avoid the sandwich, drink, snack combo for your picnics this year and make it yourself.

Making your picnic foods will cut out all the excess, and frankly unnecessary, plastic packaging waste that comes from supermarket-bought snacks. Sandwiches are a picnic necessity; a loaf of bread, delicious fillings, and mouth-watering spreads will feed the whole family for a low cost.

Whilst you’re at it, ditch the plastic bottled drinks or coffees and bring them from home. Investing in a bottle or reusable cup is one of the easiest ways to do your bit and reduce plastic waste.

Don’t forget to pack all of this picnic deliciousness in a plastic-free tote bag!

Wild & Stone’s mission is to create stylish, easy to adopt and usable alternatives to common plastic products around the home. We source all our products sustainably, from raw material to final delivery. Shop our wide range today.

Send us your pictures of your Wild & Stone eco summer swaps to hello@wildandstone.com or tag us on Instagram #wildandstone