Easy Eco Swaps For A Greener Picnic

Now that 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 single-use plastic for ocean wildlife, right after plastic shopping bags. 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. According to the AMCS, fewer than half of plastic utensils thrown away are recycled! This cutlery waste isn’t only dangerous but completely unnecessary. Since October 2023, businesses in England can no longer supply single-use plastic cutlery, but the wooden and paper versions that replaced it are still thrown away after one use. 

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.

Before the ban on supplying them came into force in October 2020, an estimated 4 billion plastic straws were used in England every year! Choose a reusable alternative instead and support the change you wish to see.

The good news is that ditching single-use cutlery and straws couldn't be easier. Our bamboo picnic cutlery set rolls up into its own cotton pouch with a knife, fork, spoon, chopsticks, a metal straw and a cleaning brush, so it's ready to clip onto your picnic bag and go. If you just need a straw swap, our reusable straws can be washed and used again and again. 

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 wrap each year; an estimated 1.2 billion metres (745,000 miles) of cling film is used by British households. That's enough plastic to go around the Earth 30 times over, and it 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 used cling film and choose these chemical-free, daily-reusable eco wraps instead. We love these handmade Canopy beeswax wraps from Honey Bee Good, and they come in a set of 3, which makes them handy for storing different items.

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.

Don't have any wraps to hand? An organic cotton tea towel makes a brilliant sandwich wrap. Simply fold your sandwiches inside, tie the corners and you're good to go

Eat Green

The endless meal deals from the supermarkets were generating nearly 11 billion items of packaging waste per year in the UK back in 2019. So avoid the supermarket sandwich, drink and snack combo for your picnics this year and make it yourself.

Making your own picnic food 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 and takeaway coffees and bring your own 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