Dr. Anna Loves:

The Clean Bin Project

Directed by Grant Baldwin, The Clean Bin Project Documentary follows around a couple for a year who are competing to see who can create the least amount of waste. Is it really possible to live a completely waste free life? This documentary highlights how our consumer culture makes it more inconvenient to reduce waste, rather than the other way around. A revealing segment was a montage of the two protagonists telling over and over to each shopkeeper, “no bag please”, “no bag”, “no plastic bag”, “I don’t need a bag, thanks”, etc. The tone of this documentary stays lighthearted and explains the power of individual action and encourages all viewers to do the same. This documentary uses humour and wit to illustrate a darker examination of the problem of waste, including an explanation of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch which is a floating island of garbage that covers an estimated surface area of 1.6 million square kilometers which is twice the size of Texas.

The top ten tips that this documentary suggests to each of us to reduce our waste and help save the planet include:

PHOTO CREDIT:
THE CLEAN BIN DOCUMENTARY
PRIME VIDEO

01. Stop using plastic bags.
Make a rule for yourself that you will not use a plastic bag, and if you forget your bag, carry your goods without one. Have a packet-size bag on you when you’re clothes shopping or going out because you never know when you might need one.

02. Set up your recycling in a convenient place.
If you have your bins for newspaper, mixed paper, and bottles and cans next to each other in the kitchen one is more likely to use it.

03. Compost.
According to the David Suzuki Foundation, roughly 40% of the waste in our landfills is compostable organic matter.

04. Recycle everything you can.
Do a bit of research to seek out alternative recyclers. Remember that even little bits like paper receipts are recyclable, and small things always add up.

05. Give up take out containers.
If you leave your house in the morning and don’t have a lunch with you, make sure to bring some reusable containers and some cutlery.

06. Check the package before you buy it.
When going shopping, check if different containers you are picking up are recyclable. If they aren’t, make the choice not to buy them, or better yet, go with glass.

07. Buy second-hand.
Besides saving money, second-hand clothes don’t come with packaging. Try different thrift shops, as there are many who only sell high quality garments.

08. DIY (Do It Yourself).
You can make many different things yourself, whether it be bread, or clothing, or soaps or toothpaste.

09. Get educated.
Read about recycling and going waste-free to learn about different tips or tricks that others are doing. There is a lot of information out there that can help you reduce your garbage.

10. Let businesses know how you feel.
Leave your packaging at the til or mail it back to the manufacturer. Writing a letter or calling a company can go a long way and quite often they will respond and/or make changes.

What do we do at Dr. Anna’s to help reduce our plastic and stay as sustainable and environmental as possible?

Our skincare now comes only in glass and/or aluminum containers.
We help to educate our patients and social media followers about sustainability.
We do our best to support local when we can.
We have made our containers refillable so as to reduce the amount of packaging possible.
All our skincare is made in Canada.
We recycle as much as we can at the office. There is no plastic recycling for our building, so we take the plastic containers home with us and recycle them there.
We bring reusable glass containers to the store to pick up our sandwiches each day so we don’t use a single-use plastic sandwich holder.

a woman holding a glass jay of face cream

What is Dr. Anna’s new love, other than the Clean Bin Project Documentary?

Tru-Earth hypoallergenic, non-toxic, and biodegradable laundry detergent strips. Each laundry strip packs ultra-concentrated, hypoallergenic, eco-friendly cleaning power into a tiny, pre-measured strip of liquid less laundry detergent that you just toss in the wash. Its low-sudsing formula works in all types of washing machines, including high-efficiency (HE). The smart hypoallergenic laundry detergent formulation effectively seeks out and dislodges dirt molecules and stains, keeping them in suspension until they are rinsed away. It makes your laundry washing chore easier, healthier, more economical, and much kinder to our planet. Phosphate-Free, Biodegradable, Hypoallergenic, 1,4-Dioxane Free laundry strips good for all machines. These can be used with hot water and cold water, and they dissolve completely. There are 30billion loads of laundry done each year and most detergents have toxic phthalates and can cause skin and respiratory irritation.

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